Chronicles of Absolution: 'I Get That A Lot'
by Kirabaros
Summary: 3.07. A month has passed since Hibah entered into their lives and things seem okay but not so especially when surprise visitors drop in from the past and the fun ensues especially when they think the Winchesters and Co. are someone else. Throw in a few demons like Crowley and an enforcer from the past and things get pretty dicey.
1. Chapter 1

**Chronicles of Absolution: 'I Get That A Lot'**

**Chapter 1**

_Three Thousand Years Ago_

The night was extremely quiet in the woods even with all the noise that the animals made. The mist rose up in a thick fog, curling over the foliage. It almost gave the sense of foretelling the events that were to come as it swirled and created a sense that the world was not reality but a dream. The dream though started to become a nightmare.

The night was broken by foliage rustling, wood breaking and the sounds of men screaming their war cries. It was followed by another set of war cries that was distinctive. That didn't matter to the woman who was running from the sounds in an effort to get away.

It was supposed to be a simple delivery of the prophecy that she had been entrusted with to the Pericles who would protect it and then she would be free. She would be free after spending months writing it. Ciane would be free as a seer as was promised. It didn't go as smoothly as she had hoped though.

The initial caravan had turned out to be a magnet for thieves and cutthroats. Since she was from the oracle at Athens, under Athena's protection, it was a calculated risk on their part and they took it. The caravan was ambushed and Ciane was in danger of having her throat cut for refusing to tell them where the treasure was. Help came though and she couldn't believe it.

The woman with her companion leapt in the fray and was followed by the greatest of all heroes and the son of Zeus and his friend. They had heard of the caravan heading to where Pericles dwelt and came to help. Ciane was grateful and welcomed their help since she was the last one standing of her caravan. They accepted that she needed to get to Pericles to secure her tablet and accompanied her and for the most part it went well.

The band of thieves though hadn't given up and took chase. It appeared that they weren't thieves but soldiers sent by their master. They were to secure the tablet and the prophet. So now they were in that situation, fighting off those men when the warrior woman told her to run and not look back. Ciane obeyed even though she wanted to fight but she knew that her priority was the tablet. She took off running and prayed to the gods that no one had seen her.

She paused to lean against a tree and catch her breath. Her hand fell to the bag slung over her shoulder and she checked. The tablet was in there along with other odds and ends that the temple priestesses had given her to help. She touched her neck to make sure that her necklace was still there and froze when she heard the snapping of twigs.

Having been trained in warrior craft, Ciane tensed her muscles as she listened to the sounds of footsteps approaching. They were getting closer and closer and there were two of them. She could take them on. She was that good. When they were close enough, she flew out with a growl and went for the one that was the closest.

She grabbed his throat with one hand and with the other gave a backhand and a kick. It was perfectly executed and Ciane had a moment of pride of her accomplishment before turning back to the one she had in a one handed choke grip. Her eyes widened when she realized who it was.

"Good grip," the man rasped.

"Sorry," Ciane replied as she released him and gave a pat on his shoulder. She knew who the other one was.

The one she had knocked over stood up and straightened his armor which looked like he had melded together from a scrap heap. He had a good heart but was basically a chicken when it came to a fight. The other she had been choking was a bit roly poly and had a knack for trying to make a buck out of everything. They had accompanied the others when her caravan had been ambushed and they sort of stayed on.

Ciane looked at the pair and asked, "What are you two doing here?" She looked in the direction of the fighting.

The chicken of the group said, "We saw you running and we saw two of them chase after you. We'd thought we try to warn you and…"

Ciane raised her brow at that but it was believable. She looked at them and replied, "Thanks." She looked behind them and added, "They're still on our trail. We gotta move."

"More?" The roly poly man squeaked. "Honestly I thought this would be an ample opportunity to write a story about the famous prophets of the temple of Athena. Think of all the royalties and the publicity."

Ciane had started walking by this time and knew they were following her. They were better than no company at all. They could continue on the road to Pericles and the others would catch up. That she didn't doubt and that was pretty much the plan. "As much as the publicity the prophets would get sounds intriguing, I doubt they would go for it. It's all about secrecy, Salmoneus."

"And that's the beauty of it. Everyone loves a mystery. They love their secret societies like that one group you mentioned would come into existence," Salmoneus replied as he followed the brisk pace set by Ciane. "It's a perfect market."

"Maybe in a thousand years," Ciane replied as she looked around. She suddenly stopped when she heard something. She motioned for her companions to stop. She heard them. They were being followed. "Joxer," she hissed and motioned for him to move.

It was not perfect but they were able to ambush their pursuers and tie them up. Ciane looked at the one who was staring at her defiantly. Last time she didn't have the chance to get a good look at who they worked for. This time she could question them and see for herself. "Who are you? Whose man are you?"

The one glaring at her harrumphed before saying, "You should be in fear Prophet. What you have is something more valuable to our master than you can possibly imagine."

"I don't have the luxury of living in fear," Ciane replied as she pulled out the small knife she carried and pressed it against the man's throat. "Now tell me who dares to attack one of Athena's prophets?"

"Wisdom and battle go hand in hand. Something that sorely will lack in this land," the man replied in a taunting tone. He gave a smile to indicate that was all she was going to get from him. He wasn't going to say another word.

Ciane knew that it was going to be pointless. The best she could do was to look at what they were wearing and see whose banner they were carrying. She studied him, looking for any signs of his affiliation when her eyes stopped on a medallion with a familiar symbol. Using her fingers, she lifted it up to get a better look at it. She knew whose standard that was and she pursed her lip knowing that there was only one who would be that callous and bold.

The prisoner had been watching her expression and started laughing. "I see you know. You really should be afraid, Prophet."

Ciane knew that they had to move. She ripped the standard off and said, "We have to move. Come on." She turned on her heel and started towards the forest, leaving the prisoners tied up there. She would not show mercy since this was a serious breach.

The trio ran through the forest and it was clear that the sounds of the ambush were still prevalent. It made Ciane wonder if this had been planned out. It was a daunting thought as she wove through the trees, heading in the direction of the trail to Pericles. They came to a clearing and the fog seemed to thicken. _Was this planned?_

"I know what you're thinking Prophet of Athena," a familiar voice sounded, "You're thinking about whether or not this was planned. Well sister, it was." The owner revealed himself.

Ciane felt her throat convulsed. So it was true. The knowledge of that sent a chill down her spine. She managed to get out, "Ares."

Ares looked at Ciane with his smug look that he was well known for when he wasn't doing his usual. This was going to be fun even with the irritating elements. "In the flesh baby. Well you get the idea. Now little prophet, why don't you hand over that tablet."

Ciane backed up a step. This was not going to bode well. She played dumb, "What tablet? I have only scrolls for the old man in the hills. They are nothing more than records."

Ares gave a look that said he wasn't convinced. He wasn't stupid either and he knew that the girl had what he wanted. He had his means of finding out information. "Don't be shy. Give it to me and maybe I just might let you live."

Ciane narrowed her eyes at that. She knew that Ares was not one to keep his word especially if it concerned what he wanted. He was not going to get it. "I don't know what you are talking about."

"Don't lie to me. I know that you were sent from the temple in Athens to bring the tablet to its final resting place," Ares replied. He pointed at Ciane to emphasize that he was being serious about the whole situation. "I know that you have it and that you are the prophet that wrote it. Now give it to me. I can be reasonable."

"Now we all know that you are a terrible liar, Ares," a new voice entered.

Ares looked in the direction of the voice and looked like his party had been ruined. He scowled at the newcomer and said, "You know how to ruin a good party don't you Artemis."

Artemis came out of the shadows holding her famous bow. Her green eyes were snapping as her fiery red hair billowed. She stood in front of Ares, creating a buffer between him and the Prophet. She replied, "I know when to leave the works of the higher powers alone. To interfere spells trouble. You know this."

"I do but then again it's not every day that a tablet describing my warrior princess comes up," Ares countered.

"You presume too much," Artemis countered. "The tablets speak of the future, the present and the past. They are revealed of their own accord."

"And I'm impatient. Now step out of the way."

"No."

Ares scowled, having enough of Artemis. "I will have it. Now Prophet give it over to…" He turned to look and saw that the prophet had left the scene. "Where did…?"

Ciane, Joxer and Salmoneus took the opportunity to take off. It was better to let the gods battle it out. Ciane reached into her bag. She had an idea that might work but it required a tremendous amount of power and someone who knew how to use it. She pulled out what she needed and began calling out in a strange language.

At the critical moment Joxer tripped over something and collided with Salmoneus and Ciane and they tumbled down a hill. The bag slipped from her shoulder and slid down and tangled with Joxer's arm. Ciane slid down quick and saw the light and held up her arms and went right through.

Joxer collided with Salmoneus at the bottom of the hill. It was a tangle of limbs that appeared at a pair of feet. Joxer managed to hold up the bag that had the tablet poking out as he climbed out. "Hey quit moving."

Salmoneus was on his stomach as he tried getting to his feet. "I will if you stop stepping on me. Where did you get those boots? They stink."

"They cost me fifty dinars," Joxer protested as he got to his feet finally. His armor clanged like a bunch of tin pots. He stood up straight and looked ahead and jerked in fright. "Uh… uh…"

Salmoneus got to his feet muttering about a waste of dinars when he looked up and whimpered. "Ahh… uh… hi?"

The being in front of them looked at them both. The look was cool and calm as it gazed upon the humans. They were not prophets but they had the tablet. The prophet must have passed on her charge to protect it. He said, "You are not prophets."

"No, we are warriors…"

"Actually I'm just a salesman and we have a problem with two gods that seemed to want a tablet and…" Salmoneus looked around before looking back at the man staring at them. "Uh where's the Prophet?"

The man looked at the two and then up at the heavens. "The Prophet has slipped time and space." He paused as if to listen. He then looked at the two. "The Librarian will know the answer."

"Excuse me," Joxer said, "We need to get the Prophet and get to Pericles…"

"You will find the warrior princess."

"Oh we know her," Joxer pointed out.

"No. You will find the warrior princess." The man then started speaking in a strange language. He raised his hands at the pair. Before he touched them he said, "Find the warrior princess. She will know what to do."

A light flashed and Joxer and Salmoneus opened their eyes. They were standing in the middle of a road but it was no road they had seen before. It was black and covered with rocks and there were lines painted on it. They looked at each other and then around. There was nothing but the sound of crickets singing their music in the night and it seemed to get louder as they stood there wondering where the hell they were. Salmoneus was the first to say, "Okay, this is good but I have one question: Where are we?!"

* * *

It had to be a dream. There was nothing familiar; nothing was recognizable to him as he walked around. It didn't help that he was dressed in something that belonged in Dungeons and Dragons. He really couldn't do much about it now since he was hunting for something. He knew he was hunting because he had the demon killing knife in his hand and he had it out, ready to get what he presumed was a demon.

He walked through the forest. The shadows made everything look eerie and he felt that a hell hound or worse was going to pop out. His throat convulsed trying to keep the fear at bay. He looked around and moved forward.

It came from the left and he flew and hit a tree. He fell to the ground and looked up. He saw someone in black with a hood step forward. He was demanding something and he raised a pretty nasty blade and it came down.

The blow never came. It had been blocked by… Absolution? It was the blade and it gleamed in the moonlight. Looking up, he could see the wielder. She blocked and shoved the guy in black back and gave a familiar cry. The guy in black was on his feet and running away.

The next thing he knew, she was squatting in front of him. She looked at him and gently raised her hand to stroke his hair with her fingers. Her new tattoo stood prominent and her lips… Then he felt something hit him in the stomach.

Sam opened his eyes and gasped for air from the pressure that was on his stomach and chest. There was no music blasting out his ear drums so it wasn't Dean. It was then that he heard giggling, little girl giggling. He knew who that belonged to.

"Morning Abba."

Sam rubbed his face and gave a slightly embarrassed smile while propping himself on his elbows. He had tried to get her to call him by name but she insisted on that one. Looking at the light brown hair in a ponytail and hazel eyes, the slight smile became a full one. "Morning Hibah. What are you doing here?"

"It's morning. Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey," Hibah replied as she sat back more on Sam's stomach.

Sam glanced at his watch and noted the time. It was time to get up, for him at least. Hibah seemed to have gotten into his and Angela's habits. He could hear Dean fast asleep on his bed and for once was glad that his brother wasn't awake. The dream he had was similar to the last one where she had given him mouth to mouth. It was probably a good thing that Hibah woke him up as she did. That was just…

"You awake Abba?"

Sam turned his attention to the little girl that had grown to the size of a four year old within the span of a month and a week. It seemed like yesterday that she was a little baby and now she was a cute little four year old wearing her favorite jeans, the mini Led Zeppelin t-shirt Dean bought her and the pink hoodie she always wore. He replied, "Yeah I'm awake. How did you get in? Where's Angie?"

"Ima is sleeping," Hibah replied as she began playing with Sam's shirt. She had a habit of grabbing clothes and balling them in a fist. "I wanted to see you. Amitz too."

It was simple and matter of fact and it made it hard to stay mad with Hibah for very long. Sam looked at the little girl that was insistent about the names that she had given them and replied, "You see me every day."

Hibah gave the look that Angela had called the 'yeah right' look and Dean said it was a mini bitch face. "You're always awake before me," she pointed out, "And Amitz is sleeping."

Sam had to think about that. It was like dealing with Angela at times but only smaller. Hibah would say something and he and Dean had to think about it. He finally got that it was probably her idea of a surprise. "Well this time you woke me up," he offered with a slight smile.

Hibah returned it with one of her own and leaned forward to wrap her arms around his neck. "I woke you up Abba."

Sam tried not to grimace since the hug was really tight. For a little girl, Hibah had a strong grip that was cute when she was a baby but now there was an issue of childproofing… like there was such a thing for a kid like her. He did like her hugs because they were given with complete love, no strings attached. He grasped Hibah with one arm and used the other to keep from falling. "Yeah you did. How did you get in Hibah?"

"I opened it."

It was logical. No one taught her how to pick a lock and Hibah sort of knew how to use a door key. The only other option was that Hibah had used her powers. To Sam, every time she used them, he would quickly look around to see if an angel or a demon would pop out and come for her. He was certain Angela felt the same way; she was just better at keeping calm. "How did you open it?"

"I told it to open."

That solved it. Sam looked at Hibah who was staring at him with an inquisitive look. He returned it but made a mock frown at her and it slipped into one of the faces he sometimes made to get a laugh from her. It worked this time and she smiled and gave a small giggle followed by, "Abba funny."

Since he was up and getting back to sleep was not in the cards, Sam decided to follow through and get up as usually. Dean was still fast asleep meaning that Hibah couldn't stay in here and wait for him. It felt weird too.

Sitting completely up, Sam picked up Hibah and set her on the floor. Inwardly he felt relief that he didn't decide on a t-shirt and boxers for the night and Dean just went with the sweats and t-shirt. Looking at Hibah, he said, "Okay, I'm up but you have to wait with Angie while I shower. Okay?"

"Okay Abba," Hibah replied looking at him expectantly.

Sam knew that meant that he was to escort her. It was his intention anyway. He shook off the covers and grabbed his shoes. Taking Hibah by the hand and remembering his key and Angela's spare, he led her down the hall to the room Hibah and Angela shared trying to shake off the last vestiges of sleep from his impromptu awakening.

"I can open it Abba," Hibah said in reference to the door to her room. "Ima helps me practice."

_At least it's supervised_, Sam thought to himself. It made sense since they really couldn't stop Hibah's powers from manifesting and even though Hibah was older, Angela had seemed reluctant to bind her powers with the spell that she had. Sam was perplexed at that but decided not to ask and would often watch when Angela worked with the little god.

Deciding that she had enough fun for the moment, Sam said, "Let's just use the key and knock." He had added the last part since he hadn't forgotten how he had just barged in and she had come out toweling her hair. He had been lucky that she was dressed then but the next time he might not be so lucky so he took to knocking.

Hibah frowned at that but readily obeyed. She knocked on the door and called, "Ima."

Her voice sounded almost like a shout since her voice was high pitched anyway. Sam thought it sounded almost like a petulant child demanding for everything without a please or thank you. He was about to say something when the door opened to reveal Angela with sleep still evident in her eyes. Hibah had been right when she said that she was sleeping. Now he felt bad for dumping Hibah back on her so he could get ready for the day.

Angela brightened the moment she saw the both of them but her gaze was directed at Hibah. She smiled and said, "There you are habibitti. I see you woke Sam up."

"Wakey, wakey," Hibah replied with a smile. She bounced a little on her feet. "I woke Abba up."

Angela looked up at Hibah's reference to Sam and noted the expression. She was at a loss to herself with this situation. She had been trying to get Hibah to call them all by name and even did it when Hibah was learning to talk. It didn't work and she was Ima, Sam was Abba and between the four of them, she gave Dean the name Amitz. In public she called him the Arabic term for 'uncle' and sometimes they got stares at that.

Looking back at Hibah, Angela replied, "Okay you woke him up. Why?"

"I want betfust with Ima and Abba. Amitz needs sleep," Hibah pointed out in a matter of fact tone.

Angela raised her brow slightly at that. Hibah was sensitive to Dean's state of mind lately and it was a blessing and a relief that he didn't lash out to harshly with the continuous jobs since Alistair made himself known. Angela figured it was Hibah's doing since she was a child and Dean liked spending time with the little girl. She looked at Hibah and said, "Okay, habibitti. Why don't you come in and play with Cerebus while we get ready?"

"Ceebee," Hibah exclaimed and started in leaving Angela and Sam at the door.

Angela had a bemused expression on her face as she rubbed the loose tendrils of hair on her head. She looked at Sam and said, "I guess ten to fifteen?"

"That'll work," Sam replied, knowing what she meant.

"Okay, but you're buying," Angela replied with a smile before turning to go back in her room.

* * *

**A/N:** Welcome to 3.07 'I Get That A Lot' and a first: characters from the show Xena are introduced. For those that have read Blindside, Jason is the Jason from Hercules. And it looks like Hibah is a month old in human years but looks four and already imprinted on Winchester and Co. Let's see where the adventure goes next time on 'I Get That A Lot'...


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The vendors were getting an early start with their wares as they ran back and forth between customers. Kids running around, chasing each other added to the spectacle along with the smells of hot food permeating the air. There were even a few dogs running about. In short it looked like a country fair was going in full swing and it was already ten o'clock.

"Ima, what's that?"

Angela looked in the direction that Hibah was pointing in. Seeing what it was, she replied, "That's a pumpkin."

Hibah looked at the huge gourd as she held into Angela's hand with her small one. The other held fast to her favorite toy, the stuffed St. Bernard Dean had given her. She had never seen one before and it held her fascination. It looked as big as Cerebus. "It's a big one."

Angela watched in amusement at Hibah's curiosity. She liked asking for the names of things and then she would study them for a moment. Sometimes she would ask for the Hebrew or Arabic word for it. She found it funny since Hibah's Arabic and Hebrew pronunciation was better than her English at times. The ancient Egyptian was the best and she figured that it had something to do with her lineage plus Angela felt more at ease talking to her in that language. It annoyed Dean to no end but it made it all the more fun.

Hibah studied the pumpkin and finally asked in Hebrew, "Why is it so big Ima?"

Angela responded in kind, "Because the farmers grew it that way."

"Ceebee is bigger."

Angela couldn't help but laugh at that. Cerebus gave a bark when he heard his name. Given the situation he tolerated being on the leash that had been acquired at short notice even though he was trained to walk without one. "I agree with you."

While not typical of the usual stops they would make, meaning that there was no diner close by to the motel, it helped in picking up road food. Well it was road food that two out of three would prefer and the fourth didn't care. Maybe it was an honest coincidence that the current motel was near a farmer's market. Angela gave a smile at Hibah as she turned to look at fruit and think of ways to get Dean to eat it without resorting to making a dessert of kinds, namely pie. Currently her view was of the apples and they looked good but she was hoping for something different.

She found what she wanted in a corner of the stall. She looked down at Hibah and gave a gentle tug to indicate that she should follow. Once there, she gave Cerebus' leash for her to hold while she looked at the apples. Angela adjusted her position so she could keep an eye on Hibah with a downward gaze that looked bemused while Hibah picked up an apple and started looking at it like she would while holding onto Cerebus.

Angela started putting her selections in the bag while watching. Hibah had been taught early on that when she was given Cerebus' leash, she was to stay by him, which was fine with her since she liked playing with the hell mutt and he liked her. She motioned to the vendor saying that she was going to buy the apple Hibah was holding.

"Apples?"

Angela looked up to see Sam standing there watching the whole scene. She noticed Dean in the background munching on what she assumed was a hamburger. She replied, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away."

"I don't really think that applies."

"Goes to show what you know," Angela replied with a smile. She handed over the cash for the apples. As she waited for her change, she pulled one out and held it out to Sam. "Here, try this."

Sam took the apple and held it up. It was dwarfed by his hand as he held it by his thumb and forefinger. He looked at Angela and raised his brow. "Seriously?"

"Try it," Angela prompted.

Sam looked at it. It looked like he could eat it in two bites, maybe less. He could get getting that size for Hibah but… Taking the plunge, he took a bite and was immediately assaulted by the full taste of it. It was really good. "This is really good. This is an apple?"

Angela watched Sam's reaction with a smile. She failed to notice Hibah watching with a smile on her face before she started babbling to Cerebus who responded to her talking with licks and harrumphs. She looked at Sam and replied, "It's a wild apple. It grows naturally. Better than the organic."

Sam had to agree with that. It was tiny but it was full of flavor. "It's good."

Angela gave a slight smile. At that moment, the vendor came back with the change which she pocketed. She then called to Hibah, "Habibitti."

Hibah replied, "Coming Ima."

"She still calling you that?" Sam asked the question in a whisper, praying that Hibah didn't overhear. Sometimes she seemed to hear things that Angela could hear and he wondered if that was a god thing or just being a little girl.

"Because she's Ima and you're Abba," Hibah piped up. She had handed the leash to Angela and had taken her free hand. She hugged her dog tight with her free arm as she beamed up at Sam. She then tugged on Angela's hand to move on to the next vendor anxious to see everything.

Angela tried not to let on that Hibah had used her strength to pull her and she could feel it. She went with the girl. She cast a look at Sam and gave sort of smile that was apologetic.

Sam watched the pair of them walk towards another stall. He couldn't help but smile back. He knew that it was rhetorical to ask about Hibah's way of naming people. At least he knew what she meant by her names thanks to Angela who translated with a slight blush on her face. It changed when she revealed Hibah's name for his brother, which was interesting. In public Hibah called him the Arabic word for uncle or in English. In private she called him Amitz.

Sam couldn't help but chuckle at that. It actually seemed to overinflate his brother's ego but he thought that maybe it was a good thing. Hibah always seemed to make his brother open up and happy if for a while. Sam knew that the ever present thoughts on his brother's mind were related to his stint in hell and the things he had done. He had noticed that Angela seemed to do that too in that they talked but never elaborated on their conversations and he was okay with that. Angela would understand his brother's feelings since she experienced something similar.

"You finished getting your rabbit food?"

Sam blinked as he was jerked out of his thoughts. He turned to see his brother eating a burger and was chomping away. "Seriously dude? You just ate breakfast like two hours ago."

"It's good."

Sam gave a slight look of annoyance and shook his head. He seriously did live with a human garbage disposal that was probably teaching their little girl his bad habits. At least she hadn't picked up the bad habit of talking with her mouth full. He replied, "Walking garbage disposal."

"Hey," Dean protested. He swallowed the bite he had taken and spoke much clearer, "I eat when I'm hungry and we got a long drive before we get to Bobby's."

"Yeah, about that Dean…"

It was more like an executive decision on Dean's part since he was the primary driver. Hibah had found one of Angela's pictures and asked about it and the person she had asked was Dean. At the end of his explanation, she asked if they were going to go see Bobby and Dean said that they were. It had been slow going since they did have to stop when a case popped up and that was a doozy since it was hard to ignore the occasional scratch or two across the face.

Dean thought it might be good for Hibah. He couldn't really explain it but he felt that it was very important for the little girl to have a good childhood. He could accept that she might be leaving them when she was her nine year old size but he also was practical enough to know that they might have her longer than the three months. He looked at Sam and interrupted, "Look Sam, it's not going to hurt for her to meet more people. She'll get an idea how we tick."

"I'll buy that but you've got an ulterior motive." Sam didn't mean to sound like a grand inquisitor but he didn't want anything to potentially harm Hibah even if it was the best intentions. "Talk to me."

Dean sighed, "The kid reminds me of you when we were little. Remember when I kept telling you to quit asking about why we did the things we did?"

Sam nodded, "You don't want Hibah to know about those things."

"She's a little kid, Sam. She doesn't need to know all this crap and I know it's been hard with the jobs we've had but Angie gets it and I think she wants that too. I mean, yeah she's the one to protect the kid but we're in this too."

Sam had heard the argument before and Dean did have a point. His concern was showing up on Bobby's doorstep with a four year old girl calling him 'Abba' and Angela 'Ima' and whatever she decided to call Dean at the time. Bobby was just as protective of Angela as he and Dean were and would probably ask the same questions Dean did, making the whole situation even more awkward. He replied, "I know that Dean. I'm just more concerned at Bobby's reaction to us showing up with a four year old girl and then tell him that she's not really human but more like Angie… the half and half thing. Did you even tell him?"

"The idea was more like a surprise," Dean replied sheepishly as he finished the remains of his burger. He nearly melted at the look that Sam was giving him. "Thought it would be a nice one."

"More like he would be calling us idiots."

"He wouldn't call Angie that."

Sam gave an annoyed look at his brother. "He would. Dean how do you think Bobby's going to react? How did we react especially when everything cooled down enough and we found out that Hibah's kind ages quickly?"

"We got over it. You turned into a bigger emo bitch. Bobby can handle it," Dean replied regaining some of his usual swagger. "It'll be fine."

Sam was about to say something when a commotion started. It was coming in the direction that Angela and Hibah had been walking in. He looked at Dean and they started running over. "You were saying Dean?"

"Bite me bitch."

* * *

Jo stood by the stall trying hard not to be impatient and tap her boot in annoyance. She was supposed to go in, get the package and get it back to her mom so they could do their job. With the omens happening, it didn't take long to figure out that it was biblical. What they needed this doll vendor at a farmer's market had and he was slowest and annoying being on the planet. He was also a pervert since he kept eyeing her rack.

_Mom, I swear you sometimes do these things just to have an excuse to shoot someone._

Jo sighed as she looked at the dolls. They weren't just any dolls. Well most of them were the kind to give a little girl and some were from other parts of the world. There were also special dolls that were of the supernatural variety. The vendor also sold other things related to that field that were available to hunters. However, Jo was just waiting for a doll.

Jo looked around wondering how much longer it was going to be when she thought she heard a familiar voice. She frowned and tried to listen again. The only thing she heard was a little girl's voice talking but it was in a different language.

_Ima, what is that?_

Jo couldn't help but smile. She could tell that the little girl was asking a question about something. She remembered when she used to ask questions about anything and everything. Her mom was also patient with the answers unless Jo was doing it on purpose. Then she would get the 'Joanna Beth' thing. The next voice that had her look up again belonged to someone she did know even though she couldn't recognize the words.

_That is a special doll. The people who made it believe that there are spirits that possess powers and they are representations of people…_

"Hey! Don't be doing no Osama thing."

Jo frowned hearing the voice and its condescending tone. She moved around and saw her friend standing firm and looking at a group of hicks looking at her with lust and contempt. She started forward when Angela said, "I have no idea what you are talking about. Now please leave us alone."

It seemed to only encourage the hicks and they inched forward. One who appeared to be the leader said, "You know full well. We don't need no Muslims here."

Jo thought it was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard of. She knew Angela was no Muslim. In fact the girl didn't hold to any particular religious beliefs. She respected all traditions and made an effort to understand them as they cropped up. What had Jo was the fact that those hicks were leering at her. She looked around for any sign of Dean or at least Sam. She had heard a few stories mostly from Sacha about his meeting Sam.

"Ima?"

Jo turned her attention and noticed the little girl that looked roughly four, maybe five years old. The hair was light brown and she was a healthy tan. It surprised Jo that the little girl was clinging to Angela. _When did she become a mom?_

"It's all right. We'll go."

Jo knew that what the hicks did was a dangerous move when one when to grab Angela by the forearm. She had barely taken two steps when Angela reacted and grabbed the offending wrist and turned a set of angry eyes on her offender. She said, "We don't want trouble."

Jo knew it was trouble when they didn't back down. The hicks lined up ready to push Angela around while Angela was pushing the little girl and… there was Cerebus… behind her. The little girl looked scared as she grabbed Cerebus and said, "Ima. What about Abba?"

Jo decided enough was enough. She stepped out and said, "You know there is one thing I really hate and that is when big bad boys think they are tough by picking on a woman and her little girl… especially if that woman has an unfair advantage."

Angela had been trying to avoid a fight and any trouble. For once she wished Sam was around since he did have a way of making himself larger than his normal self. Most guys would back off then and Dean would get his laughs. She kept pushing Hibah to move away and had handed her Cerebus' leash. He wouldn't try to charge but pull Hibah away.

She had been on the verge of leaving when her arm was grabbed. It took a lot of restraint not to do anything brash. That wouldn't work in her favor at all. It really was pitiful that there were people about but no one was lifting a finger to help. It was one of the things about humans that she had a trying time to understand. When Hibah asked her for Sam in that scared voice, she knew that it was going to get ugly.

It had been a surprise to hear Jo Harvelle's voice pipe up and she responded, "Jo, what are you doing here?"

Jo stood next to Angela looking at the group of hicks and replied, "I could ask you the same thing."

"Touché," Angela replied with a slight smile. She glanced back at Hibah and said in Hebrew, "Get back and stay with Cerebus. Find a place to hide." She gave a slight nod and was relieved that Hibah obeyed and started moving. She turned back and said to Jo, "I really wanted to avoid this."

"You and me both," Jo replied as she stood firm while looking at the hicks. "I was just here on an errand for a job." She couldn't help but grin, "At least you were right about one thing: we're both a magnet for trouble."

"I meant that as a joke," Angela replied with a slight smile. She looked at the group and said, "Please. Now leave."

It was futile at best. They had every intention of making trouble. The leader said, "Now we ain't going anywhere. You're kind aren't welcome."

Angela rolled her eyes slightly. It really was ridiculous but then she had the years behind her as well as the experiences to not be quick on judgment. Still she found it annoying and well… it was just plain annoying. She muttered, "I am _not_ Muslim. I was speaking Hebrew."

It was loud enough to be heard. "Oh so yer a Jew now?"

"Please. You really are dumb corn fed hicks," Jo replied not caring that she was purposely insulting them. "You really are dumb and stupid for scaring a little girl."

The leader reacted and was going to strike Jo. He was stopped by Angela's quick reflexes. Her hand gripped his wrist tight enough to be bone crushing. If she had the urge, she could do it. Actually she did have the urge but she had enough compassion and restraint. She decided on a different course of action.

Holding tight to the leader's wrist, she looked him in the eye. She didn't say anything but stared at him. She then put her strength behind the shove she gave and released the wrist. It was probably a little too hard since the guy flew back. He skidded on the ground and rolled a bit. At least he didn't hit anything, which wasn't her intention.

The action had another try and Jo gave him a kick to the groin which had him doubled over. She followed through with a second kick that had him on his back. She turned just in time to see Angela grab the third one and throw him aside. She said, "Super girl is back."

Angela said nothing but stood with Jo and they both had their hands up. At that moment it seemed that for once luck was with them. The stall owner came out wielding a shotgun just as the local sheriff came up. The rest of the hicks got to their feet and were going to try and pin it all on her and Jo. The owner said, "They did nothing but defend themselves. The Jonas boys were heckling them."

The sheriff bought that and told the hicks to clear out. Angela took a moment to look around and noticed that people had been watching. She couldn't help but think that there were some things that were consistent and that people were just plain nosy and they watched instead of acted. She was tempted to snort at the scene but she didn't. She instead started looking for Hibah and hoped that maybe she found Sam.

"I'm sorry about that," the sheriff said, "The Jonas boys tend to cause trouble especially with people who are just passing through."

Angela looked at the sheriff and replied, "No serious harm has been done. We would just like to be on our way." It sounded a bit distracted but she was ever alert looking for Hibah and Cerebus.

The sheriff nodded and walked off to make sure that the Jonas boys really left. Jo gave a pat to Angela's shoulder. She was about to leave when she noticed Sam and Dean making their way through the crowd. She turned to greet them, "Glad to see you two. Better late than never."

"Hi Jo," Dean said, surprised and pleased to see Jo. "We're always on time."

Sam rolled his eyes at that since it was the cheesiest thing he had heard of yet. Well he had heard of worse things but this was just not funny. He had seen the sheriff leaving and could see clear signs of scuffling in the ground. Looking around there was no sign of damage to the stalls. He looked at Jo, "Hey Jo. Where's Angie?"

"She's right…" Jo turned around and saw that Angela was no longer there. "Well she was right here. She probably went to find that little she was with."

"Hibah? Is she okay?"

Jo noticed the urgency in Sam's voice. That answered the question about the girl in that they were looking after her. As to whom she belonged to was another question. She was willing to accept that she was Angela's but as long as she knew the woman, Jo was certain that her friend would have mentioned having a daughter or any kids of the sort. Yeah she had a strange way of dropping surprises on people like when she had her find that warlock and Cerebus and then meeting her vampire friend who was actually kind of nice.

Jo wasn't sure of what to answer since Sam and Dean were already looking for Angela and Hibah, which she guessed was the little girl. She was distracted by the vendor she had been waiting on catching her attention by bringing her a small package. He said, "Sorry about the delay but I had to make sure it was ready to travel and I threw in a few extras since I owe yer ma a favor. And I'm sorry about that mess with the Jonas boys."

"It's okay," Jo replied absently as she accepted the package. She could make out the Winchester boys as they moved through the crowds forming.

"Oh and here," the vendor offered one more thing. When Jo was looking at him, he explained, "For the little girl of your friend. It's very special and I think your friend will know what it is for." He held up a doll that was small but fairly large.

Jo accepted it and thanked the vendor. She really should be leaving but she didn't think that her mom would mind if she stuck around a little bit more. Besides she would want to know about Angela and if she was okay though Jo was hard pressed to imagine how she would feel about Angela taking care of a little that was possibly her daughter. "Thanks."

Taking off she followed the direction that the boys did but took a slower pace. She really didn't have to since right near a blanket vendor, she saw Angela with the girl and the Winchester boys. The little girl was holding onto Dean and Sam… Jo knew something was going on between the two of them. She certainly had teased Angela enough about her feelings for Sam. Angela said that it was nothing but Jo knew that was a lie.

At the moment Sam was looking at Angela with a look that said he had been worried. Jo could see that it was a worried look that was more than it should be if Sam was being nothing more than a concerned friend. She knew that she was going to have some fun teasing Angela about it but right now she had a little business to take care of.

She walked right up and said, "Now I know that was not planned for my benefit." She gave a smile as she looked at Angela who returned it. She then asked, "So when were you going to tell me you were a mom?"

* * *

**A/N:** Enter Jo Harvelle at the scene and trouble happens but not too much. What is up with that? Stay tuned for more 'I Get That A Lot'...


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The open field was grassy and it looked dead. It was in the middle of nowhere but it was quiet. There maybe was the slight sound of a cicada or insects buzzing around. Nearby was the highway but even that was empty. Nothing was there at all. It was boring landscape that you came across when doing a cross country road trip to the boonies.

Not a thing was stirring except for some field mice when all of a sudden the wind seemed to pick up. The grasses billowed in the wind and they snapped as it picked up. There was a snap and noises that sounded like electricity. The mice and bugs and everything else started turning up a storm, sure that something was happening but they didn't know what and they scattered as a man belonging to a different time and place appeared.

It was not as he expected but that didn't matter in the least. He was here for a reason but he didn't understand why he had to go through all that. Traveling through space and time was a pain in the ass and it was uncomfortable if you weren't used to it. Besides, they came here. That he was certain since he had read the signs and his master said to follow them.

Looking around, he spotted nothing that he found recognizable. He wasn't even sure if he would be able to figure out the language the people used. Sighing he stood there and contemplated his next move. He kneeled and drew in the dirt sigils he knew by heart since he was the best and made the indentation in the ground that he needed to put a few items down.

When he was finished, he spoke in a spell chant the words he knew would connect him to whom he needed to speak. When he was finished with the chant and he was sure that the connection had opened, he said, "I have arrived, my lord."

_Find them._

"I will but what of the others. I was being pursued by one of the huntresses. They knew what I was after."

_It has been taken care of. Find the tablet._

"I understand. The two that have it are fools as you said. It shouldn't be too hard to kill them and take it back." He looked around to see anyone was watching that shouldn't. He would take care of them.

_They will seek her._

"Who? Artemis herself?"

_The Warrior Princess._

He frowned to make sure that he heard right. It couldn't be possible but then again he had seen her do things that could have only been the favor of the gods. "The warrior princess? Is she here?"

_Find my warrior princess and you will find the tablet._

He could say no more. He had his orders. He would go and find the warrior princess. How he was going to do that, he wasn't sure. He didn't see anyone pass by with a horse he could steal. It looked like he was going to have to trek his way through. First things first: he needed to find a direction to head in. Since he was tracking those two idiots, he could track them. He would just need to find…

He walked to the road and knelt by it to feel it. It was a substance he was not familiar with but he could sense that it carried memory. Perhaps it would work with the two that he was looking for. Taking out his knife, he slashed his palm and used the pooled blood to draw on the strange surface. He was perplexed that it wasn't absorbed like it would in the dirt but he figured it had to do with this strange place that he had been sent to.

When he was finished, he spoke another spell chant. As he was doing that, he squeezed his cut palm and let it drip onto the sigil. He closed his eyes and listened to what the spell was revealing to him. If anyone were to ask, he would have said that it was an old hunter's trick but in truth it was giving to him by his master himself. He had received the honor after passing through the trials of his master's men and he was the best. He had time and again led the armies and done his master's bidding with success… except when it came to the warrior princess.

Twice he had confronted her and twice she had bested him. He couldn't understand it until his master explained who she was. That didn't make him feel any better. If anything, he was more determined to defeat her and prove how great a warrior he was to his master. He would find the warrior princess and the two fools that were now trying to make their way to her. He would find her and challenge her in the old way. She wouldn't refuse. She couldn't since she followed the way of the warrior even though she was on this path of doing good. She wouldn't hesitate to answer the call at the risk of being sullied.

It came to him and he opened his eyes. Grinning a slow grin, he stood up and started walking down the direction he knew where to go. He would find them. He would find the two fools as they headed towards their warrior princess. He would go to this Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

* * *

Time had a way of passing differently it seemed in other realms. Ciane knew that first hand as she felt herself being thrust forward and out of the portal she had taken or rather had been told to take. She found herself in the middle of a strange road, next to a sign. She called the road strange because it wasn't like any other road she had ever seen. It was black and rough and it felt like a strange sort of rock and it was in the middle of nowhere.

The sign didn't help much since she wasn't sure of what it said. She looked around feeling lost and wondered if the gods were being deliberately cruel since it was accident that she let the tablet get away. Of course because she was a Prophet, they weren't going to let it slide that easily. She swore in her native language and looked up and asked, "Why am I here? Why didn't you send me back home so that I may find it and continue my task?"

To anyone looking out their car window, they would have thought that a crazy person was talking since she was the only one there and she was shouting at the sky. Plus it didn't help that she was wearing clothing that belonged to the people three thousand years ago. It like being in the middle of a strange dream… or possibly a nightmare.

She actually got an answer. At first she couldn't hear since she was happy that someone was listening. She had to ask, "What?"

It sounded like the wind blowing to anyone paying attention. To Ciane though, it was as clear as the sky overhead. What she heard though was more reassuring than the fact that she was alive. She couldn't help but smile at the news and she said, "Praise the gods. It is safe."

The voice was still speaking and Ciane remained quiet. She listened to what was being said and couldn't help but frown. She didn't quite understand why it was here in this place. She didn't even know where this place was. It was not familiar to the land she had been born and grew up in. It was different and it looked like that it was much more dangerous than back home if the road was anything to indicate that since she caught sight of some road kill that was very badly decomposed but it still looked grotesque.

When there was a pause, Ciane asked, "If it is here, then how am I going to find it? I do not know this place."

The wind billowed and made a noise. Ciane listened to the reply. As crazy as it sounded, it could work out possibly. She had no idea how she was going to make her approach but it sounded feasible. She was after all not only a Prophet; she was a trained warrior herself under the guidance of Athena. Other skills she possessed came from another goddess who was just as keen to keep Ares from getting his hands on the tablet.

Ciane looked at the sign and found that she could read it now. She nodded and replied, "I understand. Ares is after his warrior princess. They will go to her. I will go and make sure…"

Ciane paused as the one she was speaking to spoke. She moved her head in a confused manner but she listened. "I understand but I know her and her companions. They swore before to not let anyone harm me or take the tablet. They could do so again."

The wind responded and died down, leaving Ciane alone. She looked up at the sign and contemplated it. She slowly read the words, thankful that she had learned something from wherever it was that she had been. "So I must go that way."

"That would be a good idea if you were looking for someone that we both know."

Ciane turned to see a man in a black suit looking at her. He was balding a bit but he had a manner that reminded her a bit of Ares' self-assured manner that could be downright annoying. He looked human but something told her that he wasn't considering that just a moment ago she was the only thing that was there. Her suspicions were up and she could feel her muscles tense. She didn't reply to the man that was looking at her like he was a prize treat or something.

The man though was content to do the talking since it suited him. He continued as if she had replied to his statement, "Going in the right direction is generally the best way to go especially when you are looking for something or someone."

Ciane narrowed her eyes in suspicion. She knew that this man was not a man. He was something else and she could venture a guess even though she was not completely sure. Instead she decided to remain quiet since that seemed to be the best action. It would allow her to gauge this, whatever he was, guy's move.

"You know it is considered rude to ignore someone when they are speaking to you love," the man continued. His face took on a look that looked like he had gotten a bunch of sour grapes but his annoyance was clear. "I am sure that you have better manners than that."

Ciane was astute enough to realize that if she didn't say anything she might end up in trouble and that was the last thing that she wanted. Of course it was to be expected since she was after something that the other side wanted just as bad. Until it was in the hands of Pericles, it wasn't safe and could be used for terrible things since she was certain that there were some things on there that she didn't know about. She replied, "I was always taught never to talk to strangers."

It sounded stupid but it was the best she could come up with and it would do to prolong the inevitable… if it came to that. It did seem to amuse the stranger though and he gave a slight smile and replied, "Well here you are talking to one. I have to admit that it is surprising since this is the third occurrence that has happened and I'm surprised my sweetheart hasn't figured it out."

Ciane had no idea what he was talking about so she decided to dance around the questioning and maybe get a few answers. "What occurrences are you talking about? Storms?"

"You obviously aren't from around here and I am going to assume that you aren't even from this time period," the stranger countered. "You wanna know how I know that?"

"I know who I am and where I'm from but I don't know you," Ciane countered. She wasn't sure where this was going but she figured that if she could keep him talking, she could get some information. What she did with it and how she interpreted it was up to her. After all if he was what she thought he was, then what he had to say shouldn't be trusted the length of her arm.

"Oh forgive me," the stranger replied. He gave a mock bow towards Ciane. "The name is Crowley and I am what you call a traveling salesman."

Ciane raised her brow at that. She didn't know the term but she caught the gist of what he was. He was one of those things. She had heard stories of the merchants that appeared at the crossroads offering people their dreams in exchange for something more valuable than money. They were slimy and slick with their words. "So you're one of those things?"

Crowley smiled at Ciane, pleased that she wasn't stupid. She may be out of time and place but she was intelligent. "I'm a businessman love."

"So you say," Ciane replied. She crossed her arms and prepared herself for a conversation that could go south any moment. "So what were you talking about?"

"I see you're definitely not from around here sweetheart," Crowley replied. He was amused but he kept a serious expression. "The disturbance, which you were a part of, has piqued the interest of several interested parties."

"Tell me something I don't know."

"That it's not your petty dispute from wherever you're from."

Ciane wasn't sure if she wanted to know more or not. However, if there was more than one thing after the tablet, then she may have to rethink the game plan. Yet if that involved taking the word of a demon, it was a toss-up. She eyed the demon as she contemplated her plan while she leaned against the signpost that said she was near Sioux Falls.

* * *

"Is it just me or are people dressed weird?"

Salmoneus looked at his companion. They had been walking for quite a while and it had been a rather interesting experience, albeit a scary one. He tried not to be scared as his eyes bulged slightly, "I think we're the ones that are considered weird."

They had arrived in the middle of the night in the middle of a road with nothing but the clothes on their backs and the bag that Joxer had managed to pick up. It was his picking it up that had them sent to… wherever this was. It wasn't like any of the roads Salmoneus had taken on his travels in his attempt to make a dinar.

It had been a mistake to follow that gorgeous woman who was a Prophet but he had been asked to keep an eye on her. Like he knew how to do that! He was just a businessman. Salmoneus tried not to get too riled up over the fact that he was not anywhere near where he was supposed to be.

"I don't get it. What is the big deal with this thing?"

Salmoneus looked at Joxer and saw him pull out the tablet and look at it. Salmoneus had little clue as to what it was but he knew that it was important. Otherwise he wouldn't be in this mess that he was in now. "I don't think you should be doing that."

"What's the big deal? It's a piece of rock with a bunch of squiggles on it," Joxer countered. His armor clanged as he walked. The last horseless wagon that passed them had been maybe about twenty minutes or so and they only paused a moment to taunt them. He was used to it since he had taken worse insults. He turned the tablet around in his hands, "I mean, I've seen Gabrielle's writing and it's a lot better than this."

"It is a huge deal. Now give me that," Salmoneus reached for the tablet and snatched it out of Joxer's hands. He pulled on the bag to open it and put it back. He had picked up a few things from his trade as well as from their friends and he aimed to minimize the risk to his skin. "Now leave that alone."

"Hey, I'm carrying the bag so I can look at it if I want," Joxer countered.

"It's your skin. If you want to call whatever it was that chased us here to actually here then be my guest," Salmoneus countered. He felt uncomfortable enough being in a place that he had no idea he was in and he had something that Ares wanted really badly and he had to find the warrior princess. That last one he would be glad to do since once she was found it would make things better and then he could be on his way.

"It's not my fault that we're… wherever this is." Joxer knew he was pouting but he was just as scared at being in a strange place. "If you hadn't stopped like you did, we wouldn't have fallen down and I wouldn't have ended up with this." He held up the bag to emphasize his point and clanged his armor in the process.

"So you want to blame this on me? It was your idea to chase after the little missy that was supposed to be carrying that," Salmoneus countered. "I was content in gathering information on the Prophets and her time serving Athena. I could make a fortune."

"Is money all you think about?"

"When did you start being so noble?"

"At least I help people."

"So have I. I even nearly lost my head a couple of times." Salmoneus managed to get into Joxer's face as they continued to walk down the rock hard road. It wasn't even dirt and it had a funny set of yellow lines in the middle of the road. What was the purpose of that? He continued on his rant, "I managed to get two groups of people to get along with each other."

"Yeah well I helped save a bunch of girls from being turned into Bacchai," Joxer pointed out as he pointed to himself. He had turned to look Salmoneus in the eye when all of a suddenly he hit a post and fell.

Salmoneus stopped when he realized what happened. Joxer had run into a signpost and didn't look any worse for the wear except that his armor looked more beat up than usual. He looked up at the sign that was posted but couldn't understand a word that was said. He did manage to say, "At least somebody watches where they are going."

"Hey I resent that," Joxer replied as he got to his feet. He checked the bag to make sure that everything was safe especially the tablet. "I know exactly where I'm going."

"Okay genius, then where are we going?" Salmoneus gave a smile to hide the sarcasm rather poorly.

Joxer looked at the sign and found that he couldn't read it. He couldn't understand the lines that formed letters and words and thinking that the squiggles on the tablet were a lot better to look at. He tried to sound like he knew what he was doing but failed miserably in that he stuttered, "Um… we are going to whatever that sign says." He sounded a bit triumphant when he finished.

"Real genius," Salmoneus deadpanned as he looked at the sign and then in the direction they had been heading in. They were in a real bind since they couldn't understand what was even written on the sign. "So we are going in the direction of somewhere that we don't even know the name of because we can't read the sign. That is real genius." He started pacing to relay his agitation at the whole thing.

"It could be worse," Joxer offered, "We could be back home and just as lost there."

Salmoneus couldn't help but give the stink eye at that. That was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard of and he voice it, "That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard of."

"At least back home we had the monsters to deal with."

"Who's to say that they don't have monsters here?" Salmoneus countered. He motioned wildly with his hands and was ready to find a hole and hide. This was turning into a nightmare of sorts.

"I haven't seen one thing cross our path since we got here. I didn't see even bandits." Joxer looked at his companion with his hands on his hips. "So maybe they don't have those things there."

"And I would call that a step up," Salmoneus replied. "The only thing we have to worry about is Ares and his goons chasing after us and I'm not looking forward to that unless it is watching them get their butts kicked and I don't think it's going to be from you."

Salmoneus took a breath and sighed. He didn't know where he was going but the sign was a sign that they were coming upon a village possibly and maybe they could find someone to explain something to them. He started walking since there was nothing better to do.

Joxer watched his companion start to walk and it dawned on him what had just been said. He jogged to catch up with him and said, "Hey, I can fight. I know a thing or two about being a warrior."

"And running is a great skill."

"I didn't see you stand up and fight."

"I'm a businessman," Salmoneus replied as he pointed to himself for emphasis. "I was there trying to get information on the Prophets of Athena since nobody knows who and what they are. Can't you imagine the market value?"

"Yeah if you were out to make a dinar."

"Hey, it is purely noble. Most people fear them and they are shunned. I merely wish to shed some light on the subject."

"Very noble of you."

The two continued to argue back and forth as they continued down the road they were on. It helped to pass the time even though the distance they had left to travel was unknown. Mostly the argument was about each other's abilities in the whole thing. It then shifted to the strange guy that sent them there in the first place, telling them to find the warrior princess.

That led to insults going back and forth over who was more scared of the guy. Then it went back to insulting who they were. Salmoneus was perfectly willing to keep it up if only it would keep the fact that they may have Ares on their tail off his mind. He only hoped that they would find the warrior princess soon. "Maybe we could pray to the gods."

"Really? Which one?" Joxer looked at his companion with a bland expression. The heckling had gone on for hours it seemed. He was used to it because of his brother. So this was pretty much a walk down to the stream. "In case you've forgotten, Ares wants this and then Artemis showing up didn't seem like a good thing either."

"At least she was trying to stop Ares," Salmoneus countered. He looked up at the sky and noticed that it was getting dark. They hadn't come to any town or city so it looked like it was going to be another night camping out. Not that he minded.

Joxer had noticed the sky start to darken too. "Maybe so but I think we shouldn't really be asking them for help. At least not until we get this to where it needs to go."

"That is the most intelligent thing I have heard out of you yet," Salmoneus agreed. "Make camp?"

Joxer nodded and they went to scout out a place to camp for the night. It was going to be a long night since the insults weren't going to stop any time soon. At least they could agree with each other on some things if not all.

* * *

**A/N:** Looks like trouble is arriving and the players involved have little to no idea what is going on. The benefits of time travel I guess. Stay tuned for more on 'I Get That A Lot'...


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"So your friend, who is a god, had a kid and decided to make you the babysitter?"

Angela gave a slight toss of her head as if she were humoring Jo. She replied, "I am taking care of Hibah until she is of age to the gods and then perhaps things will be better by then." She looked at Jo who was giving her the look that Ellen would give if she was hiding something. Angela couldn't help but give a slight chuckle since Jo's version was not working. She said, "I think you need to find your own look. That might work coming from your mother but not from you."

Jo raised her brow as she looked at Angela. She glanced over where she saw Hibah playing with Cerebus and being watched by Sam. Dean was busy looking through newspapers and the like, probably looking for a case. Or he was looking at a map. She looked back at her friend and replied, "So you are doing what you did when I was a kid."

"More or less," Angela replied giving a confirming nod. Granted Jo wasn't four years old when they first met, it sort of was the same thing.

"So what about the names?" Jo realized she was probably being the grand inquisitor on this but she knew that if her mom asked about her trip and she mentioned Angela… that was a whole different ballgame. She could see that Angela knew that too and would give her enough to satisfy Ellen's concerns. "I heard her call you Ima. Now I'm guessing but is that a word for 'mom'?"

"It's the Hebraic term for mother, yes and I know you heard the word Abba and that's what she calls Sam…"

"Father?"

"Yes," Angela replied, aware that she could feel the blush rising on her cheeks. She knew that in public people assumed she and Sam were the parents because Hibah stuck close by them. It was cute but also awkward. "I think she imprinted on me and Sam since we were the first to make contact with her."

Jo saw the flush on Angela's cheeks. Even though it was never spoken of directly, she knew that the feelings Angela had for Sam were serious like in the realm of having kids one day if that was in the cards. Jo sensed that Dean may have said a couple of jokes regarding the situation so she could be tactful on that note. Still she couldn't resist, "So for all intents and purposes you're her mom?"

"Er… I guess," Angela replied. She had spent so much time trying to convince Hibah to call her otherwise that she overlooked the fact that she did things a mother would do. More likely it was because she didn't want to take away that from Wosret but given the circumstances, if Hibah did imprint on her and Sam and to an extent Dean, it was a lost cause. Still it was a rather awkward feeling and she dealt with it as it came up.

Jo for her part replied, "Cool. I've always wanted to be an aunt."

That came as a surprise to Angela and she couldn't help but blink at Jo. True their relationship was like that of sisters but it didn't really seem like that in the traditional sense. Then again _she_ was the one that considered Ellen like a mother. She had always gone to Ellen for motherly advice. It was just a surprise since she half expected a joke about her and Sam knocking boots together and at the moment that was not a picture she wished to dwell on. "Uh…"

"So that makes Mom a Grandma. Did you even tell her?"

"Uh… no?"

Jo enjoyed this. It was rare to surprise Angela into sounding like a confused and bumbling fool. It was a nice reminder that she was just as human as the next person. For Jo though, it was always a challenge to 'get her humanity' to show on her friend's face. She was sure that it was a favorite thing for Dean too since Angela's mannerisms were the kind to poke that particular giant. She kept it up, "So you weren't going to call and tell her that she became a grandma? What about Bobby?"

That reminded Angela why they were on this particular road trip in the first place. It had been Dean's suggestion to head in the direction of Bobby's and do the usual: keep an eye out for cases, look for something fun to do, and have Bobby meet Hibah. She had no idea why she agreed to that; she really didn't want to involve anyone else in this since if and when Hibah's enemies did try to come after her, it was going to be a hard hit.

Dean of course pointed out that it was her fault for leaving her pictures lying around. It was a weak argument since Hibah was as nosy as Setna the cat. Angela suspected that she had poked around in her wallet and found the picture she carried around that was a group shot of her and the boys on one side and her and Bobby on the other. She knew that Hibah had asked about Bobby and Dean decided to take it a step further and made the executive decision that they were going to see Bobby, no questions asked.

Even Sam's protesting at the time didn't help since Hibah asked him and said please. Angela knew that he was going to cave because she was giving him the puppy eyes. She resisted because she didn't look at Hibah but rather pinched the bridge of her nose while trying not to give in to the wheedling in the little girl's voice. In the end, she was the only one who voiced her disagreements and Dean won out and they ended up on the road trip.

They came across a few cases along the way. That was a challenge in of itself since Angela didn't really want to expose her too soon to the world she had been born in. The thing was they couldn't ignore the obvious call for help especially with a few bloody killings involving one seriously pissed off spirit. So _she_ made the executive decision to stay behind and watch Hibah in the motel room while Sam and Dean did their thing.

While they were gone, Angela did her best to entertain Hibah and had begun teaching her to read and write. That consumed the hours but it didn't consume her worry. It was ridiculous really since the boys had been hunting on their own before she showed up and she had been solo for centuries. Yet she was worried and she would continuously glance out the window like a worried housewife. She chalked it up to concern more particularly in Dean's case since he still was a bit subdued about his revelation of what it was like in hell.

Looking at Jo, Angela replied, "We were… heading up there when you… when you showed up." She then looked down at her hands as if trying to hide behind them.

Jo put her hands on her hips and replied in mock outrage, "You mean to say that you were going to go see Bobby but not me and Mom and tell us about Hibah? You know better than that."

Angela continued to look at her hands. Her gaze drifted to the tattoo on the top of her right hand. It was placed between her first finger and thumb and she could see the cartouche of the warrior royalty. She really had no idea what good it would do but it seemed to give Isis peace of mind. She listened to Jo's mock outrage and countered quietly, "I didn't want to tell either of them Jo. The circumstances could be deadly."

Jo knew she was treading into serious territory and she was close to getting the whole picture. She replied in an equally quiet voice, "You know Mom would say different and she wouldn't fail to point out that you involved Sam and Dean in this." She paused to study her friend who was not looking at her for whatever reason and continued, "I'm guessing it is serious shit since I am sure that Hibah's mom wouldn't have given her to you unless it was super important; like life and death important. Am I right? Angie?"

Angela sighed as she looked at her new tattoo. She rubbed it gently with her left thumb and finally looked up at Jo. "It is a matter of life and death for Hibah."

"Can you tell me please? Mom can tell when I talk to you and she makes me spill." Jo looked at Angela and tried not to beg. If anything that would make it more difficult even though it was much easier to get Angela to reveal things with begging. "Please?"

Angela was relieved that Jo didn't try the begging route. It was bad enough that she was being forced by executive decision to go see Bobby. It was the least she could do for Ellen and she really hadn't talked to her in some time. She began, "Hibah was sent to me because she is not like her mother in terms of what she is."

"She's a god right? So that would make Hibah a god?" Jo knew genetics to some degree and it was simple enough for her.

"Yes and no," Angela replied in that tone that indicated that she wasn't sure about what to say next without having it explode in her face. She took a deep breath and sucked it up. "Hibah is half a god."

Jo heard the explanation. That was okay in her mind. She still wasn't sure what the fuss was all about. To her it seemed more like what her friend was and that was no biggie on her end. "Okay, so she's more like you. That's nothing to get up in arms about unless she has powers that say could kill other gods."

"Gods die when they lose believers," Angela muttered for no reason at all. It was an automatic thing for her to do.

"Okay, thanks for that random thing but you gotta give me more Angie. Don't do that protection thing you like to do because you care so much to the point you'd rather isolate yourself. I'm not a little kid anymore and Mom is concerned." Jo looked at Angela hoping that would at least get a bit more explanation.

Angela sighed a bit and continued, "It is bad since gods really don't like it when they have half breeds running around. It's a pureblood thing for some. Most don't care but there are some lines that even they won't cross." She paused a bit to let it sink in knowing that there was a possibility that Jo would scoff at the next portion she was about to say. "Hibah is not only a half god. She's half angel."

Jo looked at Angela. It was rare that something serious could be funny like admitting that angels were real. She took a good look at her friend to see if that really was the case with her. She saw that it wasn't and ventured, "So they are real then?"

"Yep," Angela replied as she rubbed her upper arms. "They are very real and if they knew about that portion of Hibah…"

"I get it," Jo replied as she put the pieces together. She held up her hand to indicate understanding. "At least it explains some of the weird shit that has been going on. That's why Mom had me out here picking up something."

"Well most of the omens that have been occurring are seals breaking. The whole Apocalypse thing…" Angela motioned with her hand to emphasize the point.

"Yeah Mom figured that one out. By the way she says that the workroom you had made for stuff like this is a bitch to clean. She says that Bobby's den is cleaner." Jo added that last bit to hint at the hunting game that she and Ellen were doing in addition to keeping the new Roadhouse up and going. "Anyway there have been some strange going on things about lightning appearing when there was no sign of a storm and in the weirdest of places. It was almost Terminator like."

"So you're saying that robots from the future are here and out to kill someone?" Angela couldn't help but make a slight joke at that but she took the information seriously. She had her own feelers out and it was the most brilliant librarian she had ever met and he still thought that she was crazy for even accepting the raising of Hibah.

"If you can tell me otherwise, I'm open to suggestions," Jo replied, taking the joke for what it was.

"To be honest, I haven't noticed anything," Angela admitted. She glanced over to where Hibah was playing with Sam's hands, playing the finger counting game she had been teaching her. "I've been more watching for signs of things that might come after her."

"I can see why electricity wouldn't make you jump," Jo replied, watching her friend. She liked what she was seeing. It was good fodder for teasing but she was happy for her friend.

Angela looked at Jo with a slight look and replied, "Okay you can say I've been off my A-game. So go brag. I can take it." She gave a slight look and started walking. She had noticed that Dean was ready to go. "Seriously though, I really didn't notice."

Jo started walking with her. "Hey, I don't blame you. You're a mom now."

"Rub it in. So what is the scuttlebutt on these lightning storms?"

"That's the thing: Mom thinks it's something but nothing serious has shown up. The only thing weird about that is that they all appeared in a certain area, near a certain town." Jo looked forward. She knew that Ellen would want to get more info on those things, which was why she was out here but this was Angela. She might be able to help on this.

"You know where?"

"Sioux Falls."

* * *

"Hey Angie wha…"

Dean had peeked in the rearview mirror when he was talking and noticed the scene in the back. He almost wanted to laugh at the whole thing but chose not to. He looked over at the passenger who was sitting shotgun and said, "Now I wish you could handle a camera."

Cerebus gave a slight snort as he sat in the seat that had been designated Sam's spot for the most part unless the sleep and injury rotation was in effect. He was content wherever he was sitting since he had the job of protecting his alpha's pup and it was a job he took seriously since he first detected the pup's presence.

Dean gave a slight eye roll. Hell on four legs had his own way of expressing his thoughts. Most of it consisted of moans and groans, barking and the occasional glob of drool. He did have to admit that he was dedicated since he guarded Hibah like she was the crown jewels. At least it helped Angela out with the protection detail. She had enough on her plate with everything and on top of that listening to him moan and groan about hell.

He glanced in the back and couldn't help but smile. In the back seat his brother was leaning against the door on his side of the car and was asleep with Hibah tucked against his side also asleep but Angela was the most interesting. She was asleep too but she was apart, but still close enough since Hibah's feet were on her lap. What had Dean grinning was the fact that Sam's left would occasionally touch hers and sort of hold it. It was another piece of entertainment for him since he was privy to Sam's talking in his sleep.

Dean looked forward as he continued down the highway. In the mirror he could make out Jo following behind in that battered rusty truck that Ellen refused to get rid of since the day she acquired it from Austin. His thoughts turned towards when he first met the vamp and how he knew that he had made a deal. He could never figure it out but he must have had the nose for sniffing out things like Angela. Could he have smelt death?

In a conversation he had with Angela while Sam was watching Hibah, or rather she was making him her Sasquatch pony, they talked about his time in the pit. Out of the blue she mentioned that when she was with the Old Man, she could smell and hear and see different things. They were the kinds of things that could make a mind go into overdrive with the imagination. One thing she said that she couldn't get rid of was the smell of death.

At first Dean didn't get it. He could give Angela credit with the sniffer since she was good about it with the monsters. How she could smell death, he couldn't get but he knew that he could do better about talking to her about his experiences. Granted that she was topside but she was a prisoner and she tried to escape. She had been punished for it too since he had noticed Sam looking at it when he was bandaging a cut on her finger.

Dean taped his fingers on the wheel as he continued driving. He barely noticed it when Cerebus decided to lie down and rest his head on his lap. When he put his hand down and felt the furry head, he gave a slight smile at that. Hell on four legs knew what he liked.

"You know he does that to make you soft."

Dean glanced in the mirror and noticed Angela with her eyes open in tired and languid manner. She was looking at the back of his head but Dean felt like she was looking straight at him. He replied, "Can I help it if the mutt has his uses?"

"Not really since you both have a liking for my biscuits," Angela replied in a quiet voice as she gently stroked Hibah's leg in a soothing fashion. "You seem deep in thought," she added as she looked at Dean's head.

"Just thinking since the three of you were crammed back there and sleeping. Hell on legs here doesn't talk much."

Angela gave a slight chuckle at that. Hibah had wanted to sit with her and Sam and Angela was going to try and make a compromise since she knew that with Sam's height, he could feel cramped in there. However, Dean made a comment about family or something and Cerebus had already jumped in the shotgun seat. So she and Sam indulged and she gave a smile of appreciation for his tolerance. She replied, "Cerebus is not a talker but when he says something, he makes it known."

"Yeah with a glob of drool."

"He's just trying to impress you."

"He should get a job then," Dean countered in good humor. He sobered though knowing that she was going to get to what he had been thinking about. "I was just thinking you know. I can do that."

"I know Dean. That's the interesting thing about time alone and it's a good thing when major things happen in life."

"I take it you did that a lot when…"

"I did… when I wasn't escaping or being tormented by the Old Man." Angela paused to study Dean's reaction. She knew that both boys were still sore about the Old Man and what he did to her. She knew that they would like to give a boot up the ass as well as she did. It made it easier to talk about it and she was willing to share. "You can spend time thinking about what happened and what you could have done differently and it can consume your thoughts."

"It's a bit different when you're being tortured."

"I can imagine," Angela replied to that feeling it was tongue in cheek. She knew how difficult the physical torture was. The mental and emotional torture was somewhat different and she could just imagine what Dean went through under the hands of Alistair. "Then again you can learn the art of sumo, mind over matter. Victory does not always go to the powerful."

"Yeah well I did a good job on that. I gave up after three months," Dean replied trying hard not to raise his voice. He didn't want to wake Hibah up since she was worn out from playing and what happened that morning. "I said yes."

"Yes you did," Angela replied. She could baby Dean on this but she knew that it wasn't exactly the right thing to do. Yes Dean needed to talk about it and he did in his own way but she could see that even though he talked about it, it was still bothering him. She could understand that since the past never really left you.

"Thanks."

"I wasn't trying to be smart. I was just merely stating fact," Angela replied.

"And I'm reminded about it every damn day Angie. What more do I need from that?"

"Just keep doing what you have been doing." When Dean didn't respond, Angela explained, "It's life. Being strong is not about taking the hits. It's about getting back up when it knocks you flat on your ass. Take the hit and moving forward. The past leaves scars that will be there long after it fades but you gotta get going. I can tell you it takes a hell of a lot more courage to get up even when you feel like you can't."

Dean listened to what she said. It reminded him of the talk he had with Sam that she had eavesdropped on what he said about not being martyrs. He couldn't help it, "Maybe we should sing Lean on Me?"

"Oh please," Angela replied in quiet teasing voice. She knew that Dean would think about what she said. Ultimately the choice was his. She sobered a bit, "So are you happy that we may have a case with what Jo provided?"

"Not even sure that it is one."

"You know we've worked on less," Angela quietly reminded him as she studied her hands. It had become a habit ever since Castiel noticed her newest acquisition and then Sam pointed it out. It reminded her how Sam seemed to like to hold her hands and she wasn't sure how she felt about that considering his touch was different from others.

"I know but I would think you would have at least noticed. This is you Angie, the diligent one," Dean pointed out as he absently rubbed Cerebus' head.

Angela gave a slight hum of laughter. She glanced over at Sam and Hibah still asleep and shook her head at the sight. Hibah she expected, Sam… Then again with the rate Dean had been going with the cases, it was best to catch it whenever they could. At least it wasn't to the point that Hibah noticed. She thought it was a game of sorts. She replied, "Hardly that. I was more concerned about signs of you know what coming after Hibah."

"That I get," Dean replied. "She's… she reminds me a lot of Sammy when he was that size. I promised that he wouldn't have to know this life."

"Wanting to keep him a kid just a little longer," Angela replied quoting the speech he had made when Sam had been killed by Talley. Funny thing was that even though it rankled her still about those events, what she felt for Jake now was pity. She wouldn't tell the boys that though. They wouldn't understand.

"Exactly."

"Nothing wrong with that but with Hibah I can't turn a blind eye to what she could do, which is why I am teaching her."

"Best you can do Angie. You're good with kids."

It was a true compliment that wasn't related to Dean's opinion of her physical being. She wasn't one to be flattered by such comments but she knew that Dean's motives behind them were a shield. She had been trying to get him to break them and she was just as guilty as he was about that. To hear that she was good at something that didn't involve ending with someone's death at her hands… that was the best. She reached up and with a hand, she clasped Dean's shoulder and gave a slight squeeze.

Dean felt the smile twitch on his lips as he continued to drive. They were almost to Sioux Falls and they had plenty of time to grab a bite to eat. He knew just the place.

* * *

**A/N:** Well Jo knows now about Hibah and is on the case with strange going ons. Angie and Dean have a moment in the car while Hibah and Sam are asleep. Yep things are normal somewhat. Stay tuned for next time on 'I Get That A Lot'...


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Is it just me or are they dressed weird?"

"I think we are the ones that are dressed weird," Salmoneus replied as they walked through the town that they had just arrived in.

They had arrived late in the day and that was after a squabbling over hunting for breakfast. In fact Salmoneus wasn't even sure what they ate but it was a tasty little bird. His skills as a quail hunter worked out after all and people had the nerve to make fun of him. The walk to this town was like the day before and that was a trek on a strange road that didn't look like any road he had ever seen and he was with the one person that annoyed him more than incompetent assistants.

At least they made it to a town. The problem was finding someone that could understand a word they were saying. The first person they approached looked at them like they were crazy. Then they shouted at them like they were idiots in their language. So they were stuck and with a very important tablet that they were supposed to take to the warrior princess and they had no idea where she was and the people to ask didn't understand them at all. It was just a plain nightmare.

"It's not us. We're dressed as we should be."

Salmoneus clapped a hand to his forehead. This definitely wasn't going to be good no matter what. "Well considering that we were sent here, I think we are the strange ones and if only you hadn't showing that whoever it was the bag."

"Hey I landed on it all because you bumped into me."

"You're the one who decided to run like a scared quail and run into the Prophet," Salmoneus pointed out.

"Hey I was leading them away," Joxer countered trying to sound like he knew what he was doing. The truth was that he was scared of the whole thing. This was a strange place and while curious, he would much rather be doing this in a place he was more familiar with. "I had it under control."

"Like you had it under control when we barely got away from that gang on the two wheeled wagons?" Salmoneus looked at his companion as they walked past a black horseless wagon. The paint gleamed in the dying sun, showing off her sleek shape.

"Hey we're still here and so is the tablet. I still think that the squiggles are like a child's drawing," Joxer replied as he opened the bag to take another look. He had been doing that periodically as if the passed time would help him to understand why the thing was so special. Most of the things he had heard about the oracle of Athens were stories that people told to scare respect into the gods. This was something else and he was just as frustrated as Salmoneus that he had been stuck with it.

"Children's drawings have more definition than you do."

"Hey, I happen to be a great artist when I'm not being a warrior. I took music lessons."

"Big accomplishment," Salmoneus dead panned. He looked around hoping they could find someone. Most of the people though were staring at them.

"Hey you missed the Renaissance faire!"

They both looked in the direction that the jeering had come from. They couldn't understand the words but they could get the gist of what the conversation was about. Joxer said, "Huh must be talking to somebody else."

"They were talking to us Genius," Salmoneus pointed out. "We really need to get different clothes otherwise these people might get the idea that we are something to have fun with and I don't mean in the good way."

"And where are going to go? What are we going to buy them with?" Joxer had noticed as well as Salmoneus that the dinars they had were not like the currency these people were using. It was paper like with pictures of men on it and numbers on it. Some had these little rectangular things that they swiped at some sort of monster. "I don't think they would be accepting of dinars."

Salmoeus had to agree with that. If it was gold then maybe they might be able to figure something out but as it were, they were stuck and they were like sore thumbs. They had to find her and fast. Then they could give her the tablet and then go home and he would be back to pitch his latest scheme to make a few dinars. Plus he had an engagement to set up the wedding party of one of his more loyal customers. "Gold maybe?"

"I have dinars," Joxer pointed out.

"Could work."

"I don't think so. Look at least we made it to a town. Let's find somewhere to camp and maybe we can figure out what we're supposed to do next," Joxer offered. He even felt that the situation was hopeless since they were stuck. Better to find somewhere to camp and then look at it in the morning. It would take them the rest of the afternoon to find a place so they could get started.

"For once I agree with you."

They started walking and they passed the black wagon again and made a turn. They found themselves near a bar and decided that the tavern was the best place to inquire for rooms and information. They walked into the smoke filled room and looked around, aware that they were being stared at by everyone and slowly made their way to the bar.

Like other times, they couldn't understand the bar tender. With quick thinking, Salmoneus mimed the motion of a drink. That seemed to work, and the bar tender got him and Joxer a couple of drinks as they sat on the stools; an interesting experience in of itself. The asking about rooms was going to be difficult since they couldn't understand each other and Salmoneus doubted that writing would help either.

Since it was expected, Salmoneus put out a dinar for the drinks. He hoped it would work as he watched the bar tender pick it up and looked at it. Apparently the guy saw something he liked since he made a face. It quickly changed though when he was grabbed by his shirt front and the guy asked, "What do you think you're playing at? Where's the money for the drinks?"

To Salmoneus it sounded like babble but the menacing look he was getting was enough to make him whimper. He really couldn't say anything but he did manage to get out, "I paid you. It's a real dinar."

That failed to help his cause since the guy frowned in confusion. It quickly changed and he jerked Salmoneus forward and demanded, "You think this is a joke? Pay up or suffer the consequences."

At that moment Joxer tried to help but unfortunately what he was saying didn't translate well either and he got a punch to the head. He saw stars as he fell into a set of tables and landed on the floor. At least the bag stayed firmly around his shoulders so that was a good point.

The distraction allowed Salmoneus to find something hard and he used it to hit the bar tender over the head. It worked and he was released and he backed away. He could tell though that the hit only seemed to make him angrier. "Oh boy," he muttered to himself. He turned to see Joxer getting up and he also spotted the guys that they had met earlier on the road getting up from their seats. They were in trouble now.

"Look at what we have here boys," the leader of the motorcycle gang said as he stepped forward. "Looks like our little friends are back."

"They didn't pay," the bar tender said as he rubbed his jaws. "Get em!"

Salmoneus didn't understand the gist of the conversation but he could tell that it wasn't good news for him or Joxer. He pulled on Joxer and said, "I think we better go."

"Just wait. I can handle this," Joxer replied as he stood up. He was prepared to take care of the bar tender since that was a cheap shot. He turned and when he saw that the guys they met earlier on the road were there and inching their way forward, he tried hard not to faint. That was unmanly and he would never hear the end of it. "Uh… I think you're right. We should… get out of here." He took off running towards the exit.

Salmoneus watched as his companion ran and left him behind. _Some warrior_, he mused when he looked at the other guys and they were coming with their fists and a few weapons drawn, he remembered why he suggested it in the first place. He followed Joxer out of the bar but once outside, he realized that he was on his own.

The motorcycle guys came charging out and spotted him. The leader shouted and said, "There he is. Find the little weenie!"

Salmoneus couldn't help but whimper and turned tail and ran. He had no idea what he was doing but he knew that he had to lose them. He could do what he did best and hide but the sticking point was where. The area he was at had too few options and he had about three or four guys on his tail. The best thing he could do was run and hope that someone would see his plight and help or that they ran out of breath and leave.

The buildings were strange and there were none of the usual hiding places he could go to like he would in the marketplace. So he ran and that was when he spotted her. She was right there. He had found her. He felt relief and almost stopped but the noise of the guys chasing him were on his tail and he whimpered again and started running. He made a beeline straight towards her and when he was close enough, he shouted for help. She would show them.

* * *

Angela stepped out of the phone booth she commandeered for her conversation and made to head back to the diner. She could have used her cell phone but knowing Sherlock, he had caller ID on her and would probably ignore her. So she went with the phone booth. At least she had a better chance of actually him picking up the phone. She just needed an update and also a follow up on what Jo gave her to report.

The conversation went as expected and Sherlock filled her in on particulars. He gave his usual parting shot of half an insult and half a care in terms of taking care of herself and Hibah. He still called her 'it' but he had softened a bit and seemed relieved that his Shields of Truth were still working. Angela never doubted that they would.

So she was on her way back to the diner where the others were finishing their dinner. Angela could see Jo was enamored with Hibah and making her laugh. That reminded her that she had to talk to Ellen and let her know what was going on with her life. Even when she was doing her off the grid thing, she didn't say much when she did visit Ellen. It seemed enough at the time and the woman didn't press but Angela knew she owed Ellen a conversation at least.

The thing she dreaded now was a hyperactive Hibah since she could see Dean sneaking her bites of pie and Sam's mild form of the bitch face wasn't working this time. Jo was backing out on this since she was assuming the role of the fun aunt. On top of that there was Bobby's reaction to the situation she was in and she wasn't looking forward to that since she was sure that he would corner her later and grill her about it to the point where she would be spilling beans left and right and then get a lecture about keeping something important from him.

She could sic Hibah on Dean and leave him to deal with the consequences of his mess. She did that all the time anyway and this time it had to do with Hibah. She was in that frame of mind as she started walking across the street. She heard someone shouting and looked in the direction of the shouts and raised her brow in surprise.

At first she thought it was a Hollywood version of an Arab running towards her but a second look told her that the clothing was authentic and very out of place in a place where jeans were the norm. The guy was older if the grey receding hair and beard were any indication and he looked scared out of his mind and he had every right to be. Those biker guys meant business and rather fortunately or unfortunately she recognized one of them and maybe that might be enough to get them to back off but given that they seemed a bit pissed at the guy they were chasing and weren't willing to listen to reason.

She was right since they didn't stop. The scared one ran right past her and then tried to hide behind her. The leader said, "Stay out of this or you might get into trouble."

Angela raised her brow at that. Trouble seemed to follow her everywhere and she wasn't joking on that point. She replied, "Chasing someone who looks like they wouldn't hurt a fly… I find that to be a little mean."

The leader started chuckling at her word choice. So what if her vocabulary had suffered a little since she became, as Jo put it, a mom nearly a month ago? It still was clear how she thought the situation was. The leader thought it hilarious and replied, "Mean? What are you five?"

"If only you knew," she replied. "Seriously boys if you tell me the problem, maybe we can work something out."

"Work something out? And would you be the bargaining chip?"

"No."

"Then why are we talking? Give us the schmuck that tried to weasel out of paying," the leader demanded as he motioned towards the guy he had been chasing.

"I gave you a warning. You have a chance to leave with your dignity intact." Angela stood with brow still raised. A fight was the last thing she wanted to get into but she was willing to do it if only to make things right. "I can be reasonable if you are."

It was not in the cards as the leader laughed and then looked at his group. The others would find the other one and give him his beating. It looked like they would have to take it out on this one. A pity she was so pretty. He laughed and then attempted to swing a fist at her.

Angela was ready for the strike and blocked. She countered with a punch of her own and that led to the rest of them trying to get her. Narrowing her eyes, she anticipated and used what she knew to use their momentum against them. She played it smart and blocked and struck when she could lay the most amount of damage and make her point clear. She was aware that she had a playful expression on her face and she remembered what it felt like to be in battle.

It was true what she told Sam when he mentioned about feeling her being inside of him. It was battle and she could admit now that she did love a good fight and only if the scum deserved it. She was good at it and she did have an appreciation for certain types of weaponry. It was a part of her that was scary at times for her since she knew that it took very little to push one over the edge and down the road she had been introduced to.

She knew that she was stronger than the average human. She once broke someone's arm and that was a long time ago. She could dish out hurt with maximum damage. As Dean was fond of saying, she could lift him and Sam when they were deadweight. That strength alone could be deadly and she knew that it stuck with the boys when she mentioned that she wanted to rip someone's head off. When Dean said something similar, it was no big deal yet there was that underlying tension if she said it. She didn't blame them for that at all. She was surprised slightly still that they still hadn't gone screaming for the hills. For that she was grateful.

Focusing on the fight, she ducked a blow intended to hit the side of her face and countered with a palm strike to the chest. It was followed by a backhand that had the guy on the ground and not getting up any time soon. She took care of the others until the leader decided to get cute and he pulled out a switchblade knife. He leered, "You wanna play rough?"

Angela tensed her body as she circled with the guy around the area they were fighting. It was a wonder that no one decided to inquire what was going on. Then again given the area of town, and she wished Dean would consider that before picking a place to eat, she wasn't surprised. Then again they could be watching but it was don't ask and don't tell. At this point things would really fit into that category now that a knife was in the picture and the situation was eerily like the last time she physically fought with Sacha.

_Sacha was more at ease, like he was strolling as he held the knife out. Angela imitated his movements. Both were well aware that the other could spring from that comfortable position and attack. They had done this dance before since that first time and the ones after that._

_ Angela had nothing in her hands but she had her speed and practice from fighting weaponless against a weapon clad adversary. She knew how to use her environment. She was what Dean once said was the female equivalent of MacGyver. She had no idea what he was talking about but when he explained, she understood. That was how she had been taught…_

Angela kept an eye on her adversary and also managed to look around. She would let him make the first move. It was predictable that he would since she could do the waiting game for extended periods of time. She moved when he did and slipped by the thrust. Her move brought her close to what she wanted and with her foot she kicked up the piece of wood that looked like it came from a broom handle and twirled it in her hands and backed into a position she was familiar with.

It was automatic as her training kicked into full gear. It was like she had three feet of extra limb and she was in full control. At the next thrust of the knife she batted the hand away and gave a humiliating swat to the guy's rear. It only pissed him off but she was ready for it and she gave a roar of battle as she gave the same punishment to one of the guys that thought he could give it a try.

She was caught off guard when one of the jerks grabbed her in a bear hug. She wasn't trapped for long when she managed to get the end of the staff and rammed it down on the top of the guy's foot. It released his hold on her and she brought it up to hit the guy in the head. Amidst his howling she broke completely free and moved the ends to hit the sides and finished with a hard swat to the rear. She couldn't help but say, "Not feeling so good now are ya?"

The response was the leader saying, "Exactly how you're going to be feeling when I'm finished with you."

Angela turned to see him with his knife. He had a fresh trail of blood coming out of the corner of his mouth. She twirled her staff to prepare. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

The guy tried again to stab her in the abdomen and each time, his arm was blocked. He got frustrated and lunged forward. His hand got struck hard and the knife flew away. He ended up with the butt end of a staff in his gut and he doubled over and the staff came down on his back. It hurt like hell and he roared in pain. He tried reaching out and grabbed the end of the staff.

Angela changed her strategy when the guy grabbed the end of her staff. He pulled but she was equally strong and her base was strong. He was trying to yank it away and her upper body twisted with the momentum. It did pull her enough to almost yank her off her feet. So rather than be yanked off her feet, she let go and the guy fell to the ground and collapsed into a pile of boxes and garbage and didn't move.

Angela walked forward a bit. She didn't let down her guard but she made it to look like she did and asked, "Had enough?"

The leader snarled and then lunged forward. He suddenly found himself on his back and the arm that she had grabbed and a foot on his chest. He grunted and tried to get up but the foot applied pressure on his chest.

Angela looked down at him, still holding the wrist. With a twist, she could break it and she wouldn't feel bad at all. Her foot was providing leverage and it held him down. She moved her head to the side and asked, "Now I trust that our conversation is through?"

The guy was grunting but he knew he was beat. He looked up at the woman who was looking down at him. He could feel the pressure on his wrist. He knew that if she twisted it just right, she could break it and it was made very clear with the slight pressure she was applying. He grunted from the pressure on his chest. Who was this broad?

Angela looked down at the nonresponsive guy and was tempted to scare the guy thoroughly. She said, "We're through, right?"

The guy grunted and nodded. He didn't know who this crazy broad was but he wanted out. He was relieved that she let him up and he staggered to his feet. His men were already running away back to the bar. He wiped the blood from his mouth and said, "You crazy ass bitch. You'll get yours if you come back this way."

"No. You simply attacked me when I was on my way doing my own business. I was generous this time. Next time, you might not be so lucky." Angela gave a slight movement of her head. She didn't realize that her eyes had taken a strange glint and it wasn't the usual flicker that would pop up when she let her power show.

The guy took the hint and walked back in the direction of the bar. Angela waited until he was a fair distance away before giving a breath of relief. As she turned, she found herself grabbed in a huge bear hug and from a person that was not her boys and it felt disturbing; not in the bad way but it was uncomfortable. Her first reaction was to punch the guy but she resisted the urge sensing that he was pretty much harmless.

Her assessment was correct when he finally released her. He was what she would call roly poly and sort of reminded her of the actual St. Nick but just a little more plump. He started babbling in a language that was vaguely familiar and then he grabbed her again in a hug. She wasn't sure what the hell was going on unless he was a lost tourist that was super grateful for her stepping in.

Angela was to find that he wasn't alone. He was joined by someone wearing enough tin junk to make several wash boilers. She thought that she was being paid a visit from geeks from a dungeons and dragons convention. She couldn't help raise her brow in confusion.

That seemed to make them babble all the more. She tried focusing on what they were saying. It was familiar since she had heard it before but it was years. She motioned to try and calm them down so she could make sense of it. She almost had them enunciating their words when they started getting excited again.

She turned to see the source and saw Sam approaching her. She realized what the scene must look like to him once she took into account his protective nature. She motioned with her hand that it was okay and that they were harmless. It was then that she heard two words, names actually, that were the clearest in the babble they had been spewing.

"Xena!"

"Hercules!"

* * *

**A/N:** Looks like our travelers found their warrior princess but she looks a little confused. Stay tuned for next time on 'I Get That A Lot'...


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Sam blinked at the two words that came out of the mouths of the two most strangely dressed guys he had met. It was like they had gotten lost on their way to a Comic Con convention. At least they weren't hurting her even though the fatter one gave her a bear hug and she looked like she was ready to punch someone since it was unexpected.

He had come out to see what was keeping her and watched her finish off a guy by knocking him onto the ground and had him in a wrist lock. He probably should have said something or done something then but he knew a thing or two about pride but also he knew she had the situation well in hand. So he let her be but he wasn't idle for long.

The second guy came running and hand two biker guys chasing him. Sam played the nice guy and tripped the two of them and they hit the dirt hard. They tried to dish it back to him but he gave them an ass kicking that would have had Dean proud and they ran off. When he looked up that was when he saw the two strangers babbling excitedly at Angela and she wasn't sure what to do next from the looks of it so he walked up to see what he could do to help.

He didn't expect them to start babbling again and nearly jumping up and down in excitement. It increased the moment he showed up and they really went to town on it. He knew they were not speaking English and he figured Angela was trying to figure out what language they were speaking in. Then they said those two names it seemed like things were getting hinky.

He looked at them as they stared at him and Angela and asked, "Uh Angie… what is going on?"

Angela was trying to figure out the same thing. The two strangers started arguing with each other and from the gist of the conversation it was about something and it looked like it was pointing towards her and Sam since they kept gesturing in the direction of them. She finally managed to get a hint of their language. She did have to admit the names they said helped. She replied in a low voice, "I'm not sure but I think I have an idea of what we have here."

"Okay."

It was a gentle go ahead signal. Angela knew that Sam trusted her judgment and he had her back. She looked at the pair and taking a breath, she slowly and a bit hesitantly she asked in their language, "Who are you?"

The pair stopped talking and they looked at her like she was crazy. The tin man said in the same language, "Come on. You know us."

Angela raised her brow in confusion. "Um… no I don't."

"Xena, it's me Joxer. Come on."

"And Hercules, don't you remember when we came up with the Olympics?"

Angela was completely baffled by the whole thing. It was twice in one day and she wondered if she was going stark crazy. Then again she always asked herself that question considering the line of work she was in. She replied, "I don't know what you are talking about. Who is Xena and who is Hercules?"

"You are Xena and he is Hercules." The portly one looked at her like she had lost her mind. "Did you lose your memory or something?"

Angela couldn't speak and switched back to English. She said, "I think I might need a drink." She felt strangely lightheaded and recognized the signs of fainting. She was so not going to do that. Not in front of Dean or she would never hear the end of it.

_Was it possible? I mean Jason was an accident. It was a maelstrom._

_ In this world anything is possible._

_ But what force would be able to bridge time and space. Angels are one but it is limited and God is omniscient._

_ You know who else. Now what are you going to do about it? They think you're your predecessor._

_ No way…_

Angela kept pacing agitatedly and rubbing her head as if trying to think. It wasn't the first time someone mistook her for someone else. Yet if she were honest with herself that other person was what she was supposed to be. This was different. Someone thought she was someone else and someone from over three thousand years ago.

_What are you freaking out about? You made friends with Jason._

"Angie, are you okay?" Sam was worried about Angela. She seemed to really freak out by what these two were saying. It was frustrating because she could understand what was being said but he couldn't and it made him feel powerless to help her and he didn't like it.

"No. I swore that whole maelstrom thing was settled. Who fucking opened it up again?"

"I'm not following," Sam replied frowning. She was starting to pace and she seemed to be working up a storm and prayed that she would stop before she collapsed.

Angela was about to reply when Dean, Jo and Hibah came out. Dean was asking, "What the hell is taking so long? And who are these two?"

Sam watched as the two strangers started getting excited. The one covered in scrap metal grabbed Jo by the upper arms and unmistakably said, "Gabby!"

Jo's reaction was surprised like Angela's but had a little more action in it. She actually punched the guy in the face and he staggered back. To Sam he seemed pleased at getting hit by Jo. That alone was enough to officially make it weird in his book. His brother was trying to make sense of it and looked like he was not succeeding and the one person who could shed some light on the subject was pacing agitatedly around and muttering about something else.

Sam was at a loss of what to do when he felt a tiny hand grab slip into his large one and tug gently. It was followed by her asking, "Abba, what's wrong with Ima?"

Sam looked down at the little girl who was more concerned than scared. He had no idea what to tell her aside from the fact that he really wasn't sure. He didn't really have to answer since she pulled herself closer to his body and continued to stare mostly at the two guys who were trying to convince Angela to help them. At least that was what he thought they were trying to do. They certainly seemed to think that she would recognize them.

Angela was pacing when the roly poly one said, "Xena, it's me. Salmoneus."

Angela stopped and looked at him and his companion. She also looked at the others and noticed Hibah was looking at them curiously. It seemed that the Fates just wanted to make her life the most interesting there was and she just wanted one day that was semi normal. The semi part was because of Hibah and that whole spiel. Hell she was willing to put up with the potential yelling that Bobby would give when she showed up on his doorstep with a kid.

"And it's me Joxer. We took on some Bacchi remember?"

Angela made a slight noise and thought for a moment before replying, "I really don't know what you are talking about. I really do not yet it is obvious to me that you aren't from around here so could you answer one question for me? Why are you here?"

"We were told to find the warrior princess and give her this," the thin one named Joxer said. He pulled something out of his pack and showed it to her. "He said that you would know what to do with this."

Angela accepted the object that had been wrapped in a cloth. She felt the hardness of the object and wondered if it was something like a sacred rock. That last thought slipped out more like a joke since she had encountered a magic rock before. She uncovered it with an inquisitive frown and opened it. When she saw it, she almost wanted to drop it like it was hot coals. Instead she said, "Dean, I think we better get to Bobby's."

* * *

Bobby was considered one of the best hunters and no, that wasn't a brown nose attempt by the boys. He could pride himself on seeing many things and few ever surprised him. There were a few exceptions though and they all traced back to the one who was looking a bit sheepish at everything and had a little four year old girl hiding behind her and holding her hand.

He knew that she was trouble the moment she showed up and it wasn't the bad trouble. It was just the fact that she seemed to be a beacon for things that were just pain crazy. He took in the sight that was in his den and then at the thing that was sitting on top of his desk. He could be thankful that it wasn't an angels and demons thing for the moment and he mentally knocked on wood.

"So uh Bobby, I think we need a few of those tomes…"

Bobby growled a bit as he looked up at Angela. "So tell me, did ya do something stupid like make a deal and didn't know it? Or does trouble just seem to follow ya around?"

Angela put her hand around Hibah's shoulders since the little girl preferred either of her three babysitters with her when being introduced. This time she wanted Angela and she peered at Bobby with a set of curious hazel eyes. Angela looked at Bobby and replied, "Is that a trick question? You know the answer to that one Bobby."

"Then how do ya explain the kid? Far as I know you never did anything normal like get married and have kids… unless ya…"

"Uh… nothing like that," Angela hastened to say. She was such a prude over this and she talked dirty to Dean all the time. She explained, "Hibah is… special."

"I figured that one out genius," Bobby deadpanned. He crossed his arms over his chest. "The kid is not a normal kid and you decided to keep it."

"Yes," Angela replied. It was better to answer quickly so as to get to the root of the current problem. "And it's been working out fine. What I'm concerned about is why these two showed up with a tablet that was not supposed to be discovered for a few thousand years and think I am someone they knew from… wherever they are."

Bobby grumbled. He really wanted to ask about Hibah but he knew that the other part was serious. At the moment the two she was talking about were talking to each other and appeared to be arguing over something. He asked, "Any idea where they are from aside from the when?"

"Greece. The language is the archaic form."

"Another one you like to show off," Bobby muttered as he looked at the tablet. It wasn't even in Greek he could surmise. In fact it looked like there were three separate languages. "So how did they get here?"

Jo was able to answer that one, "Mom noticed some signs happening around here. Mostly lightning storms but no clouds or rain… none of the usual."

"Which is more unusual since there are very few beings that can do time travel," Angela replied still rubbing Hibah's shoulders. "A few I hesitate to mention but there are stories of phenomena like maelstroms. They sort of work like the horror stories of the Bermuda Triangle with the whole disappearing thing except… they can put you in a different time and place."

"Well there's yer answer. Whaddaya need me for?" Bobby asked more in annoyance. He sat in his chair and stared at the group. His eyes lighted on Sam and Dean and he fired at them, "And what did ya two let her get into?"

"What?" Both answered in confused unison.

That started a discussion that almost was shouting but not quite. At least a few remembered their language and tried not to swear since Hibah was present. Angela rubbed her forehead, feeling a slight headache coming on. She almost didn't feel Hibah tugging on the hem of her shirt until a small hand tugged on hers. She bent over and asked, "What is it habibitti?"

"Why do they talk funny Ima?"

It seemed so out of place but Angela welcomed it. She replied, "Our visitors are not from around here. They don't understand what we are saying."

"But you know what they say. Right Ima?"

Angela looked at Hibah. She could tell that the little girl was trying to work something out in her mind. She was asking questions for clarification and she was trying to figure out what the adults were talking about. It occurred to her that they probably shouldn't be speaking about this in front of her especially if it led to serious things like demons and monsters and the things that she really didn't want to expose her to. She couldn't lie to her either. She replied, "Yes. I know what they are saying."

"But Abba, Amitz and Jo can't."

"No."

Hibah thought about it for a time and frowned in concentration. She then lit up and smiled. Looking at Angela she said, "Then make everyone talk the same."

"What?"

"Talk the same, Ima," Hibah repeated. She then took off before Angela could ask and she made a beeline towards the portly one. She had liked him the moment she saw him. The other she thought was funny like Abba's funny faces funny.

Hibah looked at the others and then at the portly one called Salmoneus. She reached up and tugged on his sleeve. She had his attention when he looked at her. She motioned with her hand to indicate that he was to bend over closer and smiled a big smile. When he was close enough, she said, "Speak the same," and with her first two fingers she touched him on the forehead. She beamed as she did it.

"What in the name of Zeus was that about?"

Everyone stopped talking when they realized that one of the two strangers spoke in plain English as Dean said. Angela was the only one looking at Hibah and studying her. Everyone else was wondering how in the world Salmoneus was able to speak in English when just not two seconds ago he was speaking Greek and the only person that understood him was Angela.

"How did you do that?" Dean was the first to ask as he walked forward. His hand was on the knife that he had on his person and was ready to do what he had to do.

"I did nothing. It was the girl," Salmoneus replied and pointed at Hibah. He was surprised and let out a slight squeak. He had understood what was being said and could respond and be understood.

"Oh sure, like she can do anything," Joxer said.

Hibah was still smiling as they argued back and forth. She giggled slightly since one was in that language her Ima could understand and the other was in what Abba said was English. She giggled at her Uncle Dean's face as he was trying to make sense of everything. Jo was frowning too but she was struggling not to laugh. Abba was just watching like Bobby and Ima… Ima was looking at her but Hibah knew she wasn't in trouble. She had seen the look her Ima gave when she was in trouble.

At that point it became a three way discussion and Hibah finally said, "They speak the same Amitz."

"Amitz?" Bobby whispered towards Angela.

"I'll explain later," Angela replied as she watched Hibah tell Dean in her own way that she did what she did.

Hibah was beaming and she said, "Lookie, Amitz." She went over to where Joxer was and pulled on him with enough force to make him fall. When he was her height level, she looked at Dean and said, "See?" She turned to Joxer and said, "Speak the same," and she did the same thing she did to Salmoneus."

"Hey, what kind of kid are you? No wonder you're Hercules' kid."

Hibah looked at Joxer still beaming at her accomplishment. "Now you talk the same." She then walked over to where Cerebus was lounging on the floor and sat on the ground and leaned against him much to Angela's amusement even though she was putting two and two together and making five.

"Hey Herc, when did you have another kid?"

Dean was the first to counter that question with his, "What do you mean by that? Who the hell are you talking to?"

Joxer managed to get to his feet. Now that these people figured out what he was saying, he could explain. He tried to be tough about it and replied, "Well I'm not talking to you Iolaus. I'm talking to Hercules back there. You could have explained a few things Xena."

Dean frowned thinking he was standing face to face with the most craziest person in the world. Why was this guy thinking he was someone else? "Why are you calling me that?"

"Because you are Iolaus. That tall one is Hercules though he looks a little skinny since the last time I saw him and that next to him is Xena," Salmoneus pointed out. "Which is a relief since we were told to bring the tablet to you and that you would know what to do with it and I can't tell you how much that eases things since there are people who want it…"

Dean continued to look at the pair. He was ready to shoot them for being crazy but he wasn't a murderer and he already had enough trouble with that. "Angie, what the hell?"

"Why are you calling her that? Her name is Xena," Joxer asked motioning towards Angela. How could these people not know each other? "Tell him who she is Gabrielle," he said as he motioned at Jo.

Jo didn't expect that and said, "What? My name is Jo. I don't know who you are talking about you tin can."

"At least you haven't lost your touch for insults, Gabby," Joxer replied giving a slight smile.

"Alright," Dean motioned trying to get some sort of order going on. "Now I'm assuming that you two aren't some big bad thing that wants to hurt my girl over there. So can you explain why you are insisting that we are people that we are not?" He was trying hard not to mention anything related to the supernatural or swear in front of Hibah. He was frustrated though and Sam wasn't doing anything to make things easier. He was just staring at them with his mouth slightly opened.

"Because you are," Joxer said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "That's Xena, the warrior princess." At the look he was getting, he pointed at her wrists, "Look she wears the gauntlets. Only Xena wears those."

"Plus she has a mean right hook and a battle cry that anyone with a brain can recognize," Salmoneus put in. "Not to mention that staff maneuver. It was like when she battled Draco in her home valley."

Dean felt he was going to get a headache by the way his eyes were darting back and forth. Now that he could hear exactly what they were saying, he was certain that he had boarded the crazy train. The details… they sounded vaguely familiar and he was certain he had made fun of it before since it was her that had been watching it. "Amphipolis?"

Salmoneus smiled big and nodded. At least one of them was remembering, "Yes."

Dean still had a frown on his face and he looked at Sam who was still trying to process everything himself. Bobby was being Bobby and taking it in and probably thinking he was dealing with a bunch of 'idjits' and Jo… she was taking it in a stride. Angela, Dean couldn't tell. She was wearing that expression she got when she wasn't sure what to do, think or feel at the moment. He asked, "Any ideas, Angie? Sounds familiar?"

"I'm ready to agree with you on that Dean," Sam managed to say.

"What is it with you guys? Don't you know your own names?" Salmoneus was frowning at the whole situation. It was getting old though he could admit that it was a very elaborate set up to a good joke. He never knew Hercules or Xena to have that big of a sense of humor but there was a first time for everything.

Dean turned to look at the pair and gave a slight smile. He held up his finger to indicate that he needed a minute and back tracked to where Sam was, dragged him back and stopped right where Angela and Bobby were. When he was certain that he wouldn't be overheard, he asked, "Okay, is it me or did we get screwed by the Trickster?"

"Whaddya mean?" Bobby looked at Dean with a puzzled frown. He wondered where Dean was going with this conversation. As far as he could tell there had been no unusual happenings that would be associated with a Trickster so he was wondering were Dean's logic was in all this.

"Come on Bobby, the details these guys are giving," Dean muttered. He looked over at Angela. She didn't seem to be paying attention at all. It was like she was deep in thought about something. He ignored it for the time being and continued, "The details sound familiar. Sam?"

Sam realized that Dean was looking to him for help. He stuttered a moment, "Uh… I guess." He frowned a bit not really sure where he was at on the page. "I was caught up more with what Hibah did."

"Well you're no help then," Dean retorted. "The details are from that TV show that I teased Angie about. Don't you remember?"

"Not really."

Dean was frustrated, "I think the Trickster pulled these guys out of TV land and now they are here."

"That would be a good point Dean, except I think you are missing something," Bobby pointed out. He decided to indulge and Dean really wasn't that far off on his logic. The boys had been screwed by the Trickster before and they would know his ways by now. He picked up the slack since Sam seemed to be thinking something and Angela was thinking of something and her thought process was _way_ different from Sam's.

"What?"

Bobby didn't want to burst Dean's bubble but he replied, "If they were from a TV show they would be speaking like those characters. These guys for one were speaking ancient Greek and they really believe they are real."

"Well then give me another explanation," Dean replied like it was the obvious thing. "I know for sure that they are real since Hibah did her thing, which I don't even know where that came from, and they seem to think that we are the people they say we are."

"What about…" Sam finally managed to start voicing an opinion. He had been thinking about the whole thing even though he was still surprised at Hibah's little side show there. He had an idea after examining mentally everything.

"Don't say time travel cause we haven't seen a friggin angel around…"

"He's right Dean," Angela replied softly. At the look Dean shot her way, she continued, "I think they were sent here from their time… Jason's time."

* * *

**A/N:** The mystery is somewhat solved now that Hibah showed off some mojo and seems none the worse for the wear though the adults certainly are confused. Keep watching for more 'I Get That A Lot'...


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

This place was strange. He had never seen anything like it before. The buildings were more square and he didn't see a single thatched roof. There were no vendors outside selling their wares but then again the end of the day was coming. They would be closing shop. What had his attention the most were the horseless wagons. How could such a thing move like that?

Looking around, he was hoping for something that looked familiar. He wandered into a building that was filled with tables. It looked like a tavern but the smell of alcohol was absent. This place was rather… pathetic. The meat though smelled good.

"Hi, can I… help you?"

He looked at the woman in her ridiculous clothes with an eye geared to making his underlings squirmed. It worked on her and she stepped back. He thought he saw her shake a little and inwardly he was pleased. It was the look that had brave men quail. That was why his master made him number one. He was the best.

Looking up, he looked around. "What is this place?"

"It's a diner. People eat here," the waitress replied. She looked at the strange man feeling very intimidated by him.

He was wearing leather and it was black. He could pass for a biker guy with the vest showing strong arms, form fitting pants and boots that looked good. The hair was dark and unruly but added to the bad boy look. The waitress watched him, not sure if she was going to be able to get him a seat or if he was going to be unruly.

He didn't care at the moment what she was thinking. Meat sounded good but he had to find them. He looked around when all of a sudden he caught it. He gave a tentative sniff and breathed it in. So it is true. They were there. "Scent is fading. They were not here too long ago."

"Um… would you like a seat?"

He wheeled around to look at the waitress. He asked, "Where are they? Where did they go?"

The waitress had no idea what he was talking about. "Who are you talking about?" She felt a shiver go up her spine.

"The warrior princess. Where is she?"

"I… I don't…"

He stepped forward and grabbed the waitress by the throat. He held tight and firm and looked her in the eye as he applied pressure. He felt the delicate veins and arteries as well as the throat convulse under his fingers. He looked her in the eye and asked, "Where is the warrior princess?

"I…"

"Annie?"

He looked to see the cook coming out. He picked up a knife from one of the tables. It was lightning quick as the knife, a dull butter knife, flew through the air and struck the cook in the chest. The waitress tried to shriek but couldn't since she was being held by the throat. Besides she was scared into quiet when the stranger turned his eyes to her. "Please don't hurt me."

"Tell me where the warrior princess is."

"I swear I don't know what you're talking about. Just please… don't hurt me." The waitress felt her words come out in a rasp. It was a combination of fear and the fact that this guy was squeezing her throat. She felt the tears pour out of the corners of her eyes.

He looked at her in the eyes. He could see the fear in her eyes and she was crying. The weak ones always cried. Peering into her eyes he could tell that she was telling the truth. She knew nothing of substantial value. He narrowed his eyes a moment. Suddenly he threw the waitress aside and stood there as she collided into tables.

Glasses shattered and silverware clattered to the floor. Chairs became overturned making the cheap wood clatter. He looked around the place. She had been here and she wasn't alone. The other scents were familiar, very familiar. He would find them first before those two fools did and then they would walk into a trap. He would have it and his master would be pleased.

Giving a bland look around, he walked out of the diner passing the waitress. She was huddled on the floor. Her eyes were wide open in shock as she put her hand on her abdomen around the shard of glass that embedded in her stomach. She was breathing heavily as he walked by without a care in the world.

He stepped out of the diner and looked at the darkened street. He looked from right to left and back again. He gave another tentative sniff and followed the trail to a phone booth across the street. The scent was strongest there. She had been there and she wasn't alone.

The others from the diner were there. He sniffed around. It was then that he smelt them. They found her. He cursed at that. They had the tablet and they brought it right to the warrior princess. In her hands she would make it impossible to get a hold of. He growled in frustration and kicked at a nearby pile of junk. He couldn't help it and unleashed a few strikes of electricity. In the middle of his frustration, he noticed a homeless person looking at him. He gave a look and the homeless man ran away.

He couldn't call his master. He couldn't tell him that he failed. If anything he feared the possible punishment that could await him for his failure. He had to get it back but there was hardly anything that would cause the warrior princess to cave in. He paced and kicked a can. It was then that he caught it. He paused and turned slowly around and sniffed. What he caught… oh this was perfect. This would surely have the warrior princess more agreeable. Now he just had to find which way she went but he would find her.

* * *

It was a relief that it was nighttime and the music of the night could be heard. Angela ran a hand through her hair as she looked out the window of her room. It had been an interesting day in that it wasn't every day that she got visitors from another time and place who thought she was someone from their time and place. The fact that Hibah played a part in making things easier on a communication level didn't faze her in the least.

As much as she felt the urge to give Hibah a normal childhood, Angela wasn't stupid. She knew it was a matter of time before the signs of powers manifesting would show themselves. She could have bound them as she once suggested before but she was reluctant to do so. She knew that Hibah would need a means of defending herself if something did happen and deep down, she knew she couldn't deny what Hibah had been born with any more than she could with her own abilities. The best she could do was to watch and teach Hibah the meaning of control.

"Ready Ima."

Angela turned around with a smile as Hibah came out of her walk in closet giggling in her pajamas and holding the towel that she had been dried with from her bath. That had been a rather interesting event in that Hibah managed to make some interesting things happen with the water. She said, "Ready for sleep habibitti?"

Hibah yawned to indicate that she was tired but she said, "Not sleepy."

"Yes you are." Angela smiled at the little form rubbing her eyes.

"No I'm not," Hibah murmured tiredly. One arm held tight to her stuffed dog as she rubbed her eye. She barely noticed when Angela picked her up and immediately she cuddled against her body, her head buried in the crook of her neck.

Angela kept that knowing smile on her face since she knew Hibah was winding down for the day. She felt the warmth of Hibah's breath against her neck and it tickled the area that was sensitive due to incidents long ago. The satisfying thing was that Hibah's breath was soothing and, it sounded weird, but she could feel the innocence in it. That was what made it different.

She had taken care of children before but always in a babysitting capacity. Hibah was the first that she actually raised. She wasn't even sure if it should be called that since Hibah belonged to Wosret and there was that one day when Hibah would leave. Most of the time she pushed that to the back of her mind to enjoy what she had with the little girl that was insistent on calling her Ima.

Angela held Hibah knowing that she was pretty much spoiled on being held until she was asleep. Mostly that was Sam's fault but partially hers too but mostly Sam's since he couldn't resist her puppy eyes. Angela didn't mind though. Her hearing, superior than a human's would listen to the sounds associated with sleep. She listened to Hibah's breathing, hearing the air rush out of her lungs and her little murmurs from whatever dreams she may be having. She smiled gently as she walked around with Hibah, dreading the moment of going downstairs and facing the music and trying to figure out this latest debacle.

When she turned to go back towards the window and put Hibah to bed, she was startled to see Castiel standing there. "Cas, what did I say about knocking?"

Castiel looked at his charge with his blue eyed stare. "Shall I go outside and knock?"

"You know what I mean," Angela replied in a quiet voice, her lip quivering in a sort of half smile. She knew that the angel knew what she was talking about and the attempt at a joke was humorous. "I told you the purpose of it. So what brings you here?"

"I wanted to see you… and Hibah."

Angela looked at the angel. He looked uncomfortable saying that and no doubt as to the why. It had been barely a month ago that she got him to admit that he knew or had suspicions of who her father was and she made him hold her. Emotions weren't his strong suit but he could feel and he had strong feelings for his niece.

It was a surprise when Castiel reached out to touch Hibah's cheek. The child didn't stir but murmured happily and seemed to want to draw nearer to the angel. It was even more of a surprise when the angel diverted course and with his two first fingers, he brushed the stray locks on the left side of her face aside gently.

"Cas?"

"You are safe and I am pleased."

Angela finally noticed that there was the faintest hint of a bruise on his face. It had been hidden by the shadows of nightfall but now seeing them, she went to full alert mode. Gently and quickly she tucked Hibah into her bed away from the window and gave a quiet snap of her fingers. Cerebus moved to his place at the foot of the bed… well on it. It allowed her to grasp the angel with a boldness that would have made Dean nervous and peered to look at it. "Uriel?"

"Yes." It never occurred to the angel to lie to her. He knew that she could detect one fairly easily and how she handled it had you squirming with unease for days or you fessed up right away. "He made a comment."

Angela had gone for her kit that was in the closet and pulled out her jar of wild yam. When she heard Castiel's reply, she raised her brow, "You picked a fight over what he said about me?"

"He should know better than to insult you."

"That's not the point Cas. I've had worse and I've had an overprotective Sasquatch nearly break a wrist on one occasion and can't tell the difference between the job and the real thing," Angela replied as she opened the jar. She put some on her hands and rubbed them together. "Besides, the Cas I know wouldn't do that. So really what did you pick a fight over?"

"It is not important."

"Cas."

Castiel felt her fingers rub her concoction into the bruise. He really didn't want to worry her since she seemed to be having enough to do. He knew she understood the importance of the seals but he could understand her feelings regarding the child and why she did the things she did. Besides she was using that tone that while quiet it was firm and meant business. Sighing he replied, "There were some comments about… Hibah."

Angela finished what she was doing and put the jar on the dresser. It was probably the strangest thing in that she wasn't reacting like a first time parent and freaking out over a bloody nose. She knew the stakes and she was calm about it. She asked, "Are they coming?"

"No."

Angela looked out the window through the anti-angel seeking and anti-demon sigils she had marked on it. Bobby didn't mind she did that since he told her it was her room and she could do what she wanted provided she didn't bring the house down in the process. She looked back at the angel that was looking at her. "Just Uriel?"

"There are a few. They think that she should be destroyed."

"Do they know about her other half?"

"Uriel said that she was an abomination for containing the blood of a god and a… mud monkey." Castiel hated the use of that term. He disliked having to repeat it and his disgust showed on his face. "They don't know."

"Then that is a good thing for now," Angela replied softly. She looked at Hibah and took in the sleeping form. "Still was it any reason to get into a fight?"

"They wanted to hurt you and Hibah. That I cannot allow." Castiel looked at his charge. He could smell the faint scent of the wild yam. It was an interesting smell and not that bad, considering that most things didn't hold his interest in terms of scents and things. "I swore to let no harm come to her."

"I know Cas and I know why," Angela replied. She rubbed Cerebus' head to show that he was a good boy. "She is the daughter of one of your brothers that you are very close to…"

"It is more than that."

Angela gave a slight smile. It seemed that Castiel was picking up the finer arts of changing the subject; especially if it was a subject that was sensitive to the person. "Cas don't try to pretend with me about your relationships. You know about my time spent in the company of your brothers."

"What I meant was that, guardian-charge duties aside, I can't let my brothers hurt you and I can't let them hurt Hibah. She is a child and they could use…" Castiel stopped himself. He couldn't really say it and he didn't like expressing his feelings.

Angela figured it out and put a hand on his shoulder. She smiled, "You've always been there Cas even when I told you not to. For that, I am the one that is grateful." She studied the angel and watched him visibly relax. She guessed correctly that it was his own emotions and feelings for her that was driving him. He cared for her and more than he should. She would respect his reluctance. She changed the subject, "Now, have you heard of anything regarding the…"

"Lightning storms outside of Sioux Falls," Castiel finished, "Yes, I have heard. It is not related to any of the seals."

"I figured that out quickly. Cas I got two guys downstairs thinking that I'm someone from their time, namely Xena…"

Castiel put a finger to Angela's mouth to silence her. When he was sure she was quiet, he said, "I know what this is about. It is also the reason why I came. There are forces that are powerful that are connected to those two."

"Then do I need to take measures?"

There was a flapping of wings and Castiel looked behind Angela. He then looked at Angela and replied, "None at the moment but I need you to be there with Sam and Dean. The three of you need to understand. Seraph will watch the child."

Angela turned to see the angel sentinel she hadn't seen in over a year. She was standing guard over Hibah and Cerebus wasn't reacting. She could relent a little and she did trust Castiel. Seraph also had the job of protecting the council and Isis was on the council… She knew that Hibah was safe. She gave a nod at the angel that was standing there and was confident in the nod back. She looked at Castiel and said, "Follow me," and led the way downstairs not seeing that a second angel appeared, prepared to keep vigil.

* * *

Ciane looked at the ground as she steadied herself on her hands and knees. She took deep breaths feeling like she had run a thousand miles with someone snapping a whip behind her. Actually it was like that and it was fueled by her sense of urgency to get the tablet and find the warrior princess.

Her conversation with the demon Crowley had been enlightening. It seemed that the dark creatures had been paying attention to what had been happening; the signs of her arrival and possibly the arrival of those two idiots that had her tablet. He seemed pleased that she was not anywhere near them and he seemed into her and she didn't like it.

_Crowley looked at Ciane with an appreciative eye. Ciane got the feeling that he was thinking of someone else and comparing them to her. She didn't like it at all but her personal feelings were not important. She had to get to the tablet and those two idiots and get back home._

_ The demon had other plans as he said, "Now that we've had time to chit chat, I suggest we get down to business."_

_ "I have no idea what you are talking about," Ciane replied. She had noticed that her accent sounded cultured. Probably a benefit of the gift the goddess had given her before sending her here. At least she was able to communicate with the people here._

_ "Don't play games with me love," Crowley replied. "I know that you are not from around here and judging by your attire, you are not even from this century. You are after something and I am assuming that it has great power."_

"Yeah if you consider knowledge to be power," Ciane muttered as she slowly got to her feet. She dusted her boots off as well as her pants. She was actually glad that the goddess had modified her wardrobe to be the pants she had seen the warriors wear and her top… She probably would blend in better than the two idiots that she was searching for.

Looking behind her, she started jogging again down the road. It was a dirt road and it felt good under her feet. She was familiar with that. Now that she had gotten her second wind, she would be able to get to the village that she was searching for. She had to get that tablet to Pericles and find the warrior princess before she got a look at it. There were some things that shouldn't be known until it was time. That she knew since she was the one that wrote it and if others got a hold of it…

Ciane knew it was foolish to quicken her pace but the urgency was a necessity. She continued running until she reached a crossroads. It was then she felt a chill down her spine and came to a stop. She looked around and the fog became to seep in. Something was there. She knew it and she pulled out her knife. It wouldn't do much but it would give a mighty sting.

"Thought you could hide from me love?"

Ciane whirled around and held out her knife to face Crowley. Her lip curled slightly over her teeth as she backed away slightly to put some distance between them. "I'm an optimist, Demon."

Crowley gave an annoyed look as he watched the woman. She reminded him of his sweetheart and he would love to have a comparison between them. He replied, "Now that is just plain rude. I did introduce myself."

"Forgive me if I'm not in the mood or habit of making friends with your kind," Ciane replied as she held her blade up.

"Oh well," Crowley replied as he shrugged his shoulders. "Now let's skip the pleasantries love. Tell me about that little stone tablet you are looking for and skip to the part that tells about my sweetheart."

Ciane narrowed her eyes. So he wanted that information? She would not tell him or anybody. She could go with one resort. "I don't know what you're talking about. All I am is the messenger."

The next Ciane knew was that she found herself flying through the air. She hit what appeared to be a water tower and fell to the ground. That hurt and she could feel it. She groaned a bit but at least she hadn't let go of her knife. She put a hand around her abdomen since that was the part that hit the tower. She looked up to see Crowley coming towards her.

Crowley wasn't really in the mood for playing games. He had done his homework once he got the reports from his underlings. He could hardly believe it at the time but he knew that such things were an opportunity of a lifetime. He also knew that if Lilith got wind of this, she would want it and it would make things too easy. Besides he rather had a soft spot for his favorite pet to tease and he would rather she have a fighting chance against Lilith. He replied, "Don't play stupid love. I know that you are of the oracle, one of many who knows the contents of the oracles passed through the millennia with each generation adding a piece."

"Sounds like you talk of the Prophets. Now those belong to the angels and their God," Ciane replied, being a pain in the ass with the technicalities. She managed to get to her feet and take a couple of breaths. "I'm merely a messenger. I have no clue what it says."

Crowley knew she was lying and sent her flying again and watched as she skidded on the dirt. "Oh you are more than that love. You are an oracle of Athena. In other words you are a Prophet and your own words are rarely separated from you unless they are delivered into the hands of their appropriate librarians."

Ciane grimaced from that. She knew that she wouldn't last much longer especially if the demon decided that she was going to be dead meat. Still she was not going to give him what he wanted. She got up and rubbed the dirt off. She felt a couple of scrapes on her bare arms but that was moot. She replied, "I am the messenger."

Crowley studied the girl as she stood there defiantly and ready to fight until the end. What is with these suckers that think they have to keep their mouths sealed? He shook his head at that thought even though there was the prospect of a good torture session. "I am running low on my patience. Now just tell me what is it that you have written on it."

Ciane tensed. She had begun muttering under her breath the incantation that she had been told to use if she needed it. She finished it and looked at the demon and said a silent prayer. She replied, "You know how to do research. Go read a book."

"Alright, that's enough."

Ciane said nothing as she charged forward. She headed straight towards the demon with her knife out. _May the goddess be with me._

* * *

**A/N:** Looks like there are more than one after the tablet and Cas and Angie have a moment together. Stay tuned for more on 'I Get That A Lot'...


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

It was rather an interesting sight to see at least to Bobby's eyes. He had spent the last hour trying to keep Dean from punching one of them since Sam was more concerned about keeping away from the pair of them and trying to read and figure out what was going on. Jo on the other hand stayed out of it except to occasionally help Dean give a nose twist to the skinny one that looked like a walking tin can. He was glad that Angela wasn't there for the moment but also wished she was since she had that effect of silencing a room with a look especially when the boys were fighting.

As it were, she was taking care of a four year old that, according to Sam, was not really a normal four year old but a half god that was actually a little over a month old and Angela was her guardian. To the grizzled hunter it sounded like the most craziest and stupidest thing that the Winchester boys could come up with but considering that they hung around his girl… it didn't seem so crazy. In fact he had to admit that the little girl was harmless and she seemed to know the difference between right and wrong with her powers and she did help out by making sure that everyone was on the same page.

Bobby looked at the tablet that was on his desk. As far as he could make out, the writing was older than some of the languages he had to work with. In fact it looked like there were several languages on that tablet and had him thinking that maybe several different people had written this thing. It was like another Rosetta stone or something like that.

It was a relief to see Angela appear in the study but she was followed by Castiel and Bobby thought that it wasn't good if an angel was involved. Still Bobby knew better than to make quick judgments since it was probably just a friendly call. He said, "How's the brat?"

Angela made a slight face that had a smile to it. She knew that she had dropped one too many bombshells on him for the day. The biggest one was that she was mother and guardian to Hibah. "She's fine and asleep. Cas helped."

Bobby looked at the angel who was stoic as ever. He was probably used to Angela putting him on the spot. "So no problems like unexpected guests?"

"The child will be safe," Castiel replied, his voice more gravelly than normal.

"Okay fine," Bobby said as he adjusted his seat and poured a glass of whiskey. He might as well be the reasonable one around here. He motioned to where Dean was fending off the two visitors and Sam was poignantly ignoring it while researching on his laptop. He did notice the boy perk up the moment Angela entered and kept that to himself as he asked, "So what are ya gonna do about those two."

"I'm so glad that you think I have all the answers," Angela mocked as she poured herself a glass of whiskey. She took a sip in her proper fashion that had Bobby scowling at her manners. "Frankly I have no clue except that maybe someone is screwing with time again and it has to do with that thing." She pointed at the tablet. "Any idea what it says?"

Before Bobby could say anything Castiel picked up the tablet and peered at it. "So it is true. The bastard was after it."

"Hey, don't touch that," Salmoneus said and walked towards the angel. "We were supposed to deliver that to Xena and for some reason she doesn't seem to know who we are." He paused when Castiel looked at him. "Well at least she's here."

Castiel looked away and at Angela and asked, "Have they been calling you that all night?"

"I get that a lot especially from you," Angela pointed out being sarcastic with that people called her by her title of Absolution. She finished the last of the whiskey in her glass. "So any idea what that tablet says."

"Tablet?"

Angela looked over at Sam who looked up from his research. It was Bobby who said, "Finally ya decided to contribute."

Sam shot Bobby a look. He had been uncomfortable being left with those two that kept insisting that he was someone else and he wasn't like Dean whose solution was to hit someone. That didn't even detract the walking tin can, who oscillated between bothering Dean and Jo. He was also worried about Angela since she had been agitated with her thoughts but she kept them to herself and focused on caring for Hibah.

He walked over to where the tablet was being held by Castiel and watched the angel as he took the tablet from his hands. He was well aware that the angels didn't quite like him and even though Castiel was somewhat a friend of Dean's and Angela's guardian angel. He took the tablet and looked at it and gave a look at Salmoneus who was going to say something and he stopped. He then looked at it and studied it. He recognized it and pointed at it, "This is the table of royalty. I recognize it from the library at the academy."

"But that one is incomplete," Angela frowned. She was familiar with it since she saw it the last time they were there. "The bottom portion…"

"It's right here," Sam pointed out as he rubbed the bottom half. "It looks like it was fairly recent."

"That's because it is," Salmoneus replied. He was comfortable talking to them even though they weren't with him. The one with the blue eyes though he felt intimidated with and the older one with the hat and the alcohol looked like one of those tough bar owner types. "The lovely oracle we were escorting was taking it to some guy in the hills."

"Oracle?" Sam looked at Salmoneus. "You mean…"

"A version of seers," Castiel replied.

"No duh," Angela deadpanned, "The name oracle pretty much implies that."

"But why the table of royalty?" Sam asked the question, not sure of what to make of this. As far as he knew it was supposed to be related to the Egyptian gods. "Doesn't it talk about Egyptian gods?"

Angela thought it strange herself but then again the ancient times before the ancient times of the actual history books, the gods were not exactly relegated to their pantheons. In fact it was going back to those times with the gods going about in parts of the world you would last expect them in. It made sense since people migrated.

Castiel responded first, "It does."

Dean had been listening to the whole conversation and managed to team up with Jo to keep the other one from doing stupid stuff to Bobby's things. He asked, "Okay so why is it here."

"Because we were told to bring it to the warrior princess and she would know what to do with it," Salmoneus said in an annoyed tone. "We brought it and now you need to… do whatever it is you do Xena."

"Please stop calling me that," Angela said.

"But it's you."

Angela put a hand to her forehead. She took a breath to prevent herself from exploding. She said, "Listen and listen good. We are not who you think we are. My name is Angela. That is Sam and Dean and that is Jo. You are in the twenty-first century and a long way from home."

"Okay if that's what you want Xe- Angela," Salmoneus replied after a look. He didn't get it but he was willing to accept that maybe they weren't dealing with the exact same people. "Look we were told to find the warrior princess. The oracle that was keeper of it was taking it to some guy named Pericles."

"Pericles?" Angela looked up after musing from her thoughts.

"One of many who care for the tables," Castiel replied. "Pericles was in charge of the oracles related to the Champions."

"What is this thing about tables? Sacred furniture?" Dean looked over. He was aware that he probably said something that was going to get him a history lesson. That usually was the case and his source was either Angela or Sam.

Sam didn't fail him. Sam replied, "Table is not a table. It's another, older word for tablet."

"Thanks for the etymology lesson, Professor," Dean retorted.

"Nice word usage. I'm impressed," Angela said looking at Dean with a bemused expression. "Table is the old word for tablet and was used to denote articles of importance. Best examples are the Sumerian tables of the tale of Gilgamesh… Real person and basically one of the early mediums of writing."

"Didn't they have paper where you guys are from?" Dean looked at Salmoneus and Joxer. He looked between them and then at Angela who seemed to be thinking about a few things. Bobby was just sitting there as if waiting for them to come up with the answer.

"Parchment; it was one of Gabby's favorite possessions," Joxer said.

"The tables are centuries to millennia old spanning the lands of the old world," Castiel replied. He studied the pair and the tablet that was in Sam's hands. He noticed that Sam was drawn to the bottom portion and was rubbing it. "They contain knowledge of things that…"

"Stem from the Seer himself and passed onto the acolytes who would continue writing and keeping them as the ages moved forward," Angela finished in a bored expression. "One of the oldest bedtime stories in the world."

"And it looks like it's real sister," Jo said. She had made herself comfortable on the couch and listened to the whole discussion. "Remember what you once told me about a few stories you used to tell me?"

Angela made a slight sound at that. Of course she would remember that but seriously the tablets of the champions and the records of the battles… She was certain that the Seer was the only one that had access to them. Sure the table of royalty she knew of because someone, namely the princess, had told her about it and mentioned her time at Karnak. "Yes but the table of royalty only speaks of the warrior royalty and…" She motioned with her hand.

"Well it is important because Ares was after it," Joxer pointed out.

"Ares?" Dean looked confused at the whole thing.

"Ares? The Ares?" Sam looked up from his reading. It wasn't like he couldn't really read it anyway. He wasn't fluent in whatever language it was in. He had been paying attention to the whole discussion but he was curious about what that last part said. The image he remembered studying was cut off like it had been broken.

"Yes," Joxer and Salmoneus answered in unison.

"Who again?" Dean looked at Angela who gently took the tablet from Sam's hands and started walking with it. Her fingers rubbed the carvings on it.

Bobby sighed and answered, "Ares, the Greek god of war."

"And one guy you definitely don't want to mess with," Salmoneus pointed out.

"But he is a bit obsessed with Xena," Joxer pointed out more like an afterthought. "He's always trying to find ways to being her back to his fold. On the night we were ambushed we were taking the oracle to Pericles, he showed up. Then I think Artemis shows up…"

"Another Greek god?" Dean frowned at that possibility. "What is it some age were the gods decide to duke it out and not care?"

"Ares is Ares and he really wants it. Said something about wanting to know more about his warrior princess, I think," Salmoneus said. He studied the people looking at him except the warrior princess who was in thought.

Castiel studied the situation. He was well aware of the incident that occurred three thousand years ago. The tablet and the oracle had gone missing; it was said to have disappeared and many thought that someone had stolen it. It seemed that it had traveled through time and whoever sent them seemed to think that the Malachi would be able to help.

Sam had been thinking about it and it made sense. "So Ares is after the tablet because it pertains to the warrior princess?"

"That's what I think he was saying. He probably was hatching another plan regarding Xena."

"So if Ares gets this…" Dean grasped the situation as being serious.

"It isn't talking about Xena, the warrior princess," Angela broke in quietly. "Ares is making a mistake like these two." She paused a bit before placing the tablet on Bobby's desk in front of him. "The table of royalty speaks of the warrior royalty, the one thing that Ares would covet. Hapi and Satet are the warrior royalty, held in highest regard and keepers of the knowledge of all warriors."

"So?"

Sam knew what that meant since he had been off and on with his research and he remembered this from his challenge. "She means about her Dean," he replied softly. "Angie… she trained under them."

"Like that means anything," Dean replied.

"They claimed me and named me their warrior princess," Angela replied. She shook her head not so much as the thought of being pursued but the fact that it was one more thing that would eventually tie up in the who Malachi of Absolution thing. "Yep," she continued as she looked at her hand at the tattoo on her hand and rubbed it. "Looks like more of the same." She turned and walked out of the room to think.

* * *

"Busy?"

Angela looked down from her perch on the stack of junkers at the man below. She smiled down knowing that at some point it was almost expected of either Sam or Dean but mostly Sam to come after her to talk to her about what was going on. Either one was good to talk to after she collected her thoughts and she found that she appreciated it since both boys had their 'chick flick' qualities that were unique.

This time though it was someone she never expected. She looked at the portly visitor below and took time to study his clothing. He did remind her of the first time she met Jason in his youth and how that meeting went between them. He had distrusted her at first and it took all the talent she had in her ancient Greek to get him to trust her. This one and the other were different and she could understand better why they thought she and the boys were the people they thought they were.

Looking down, she replied, "Not at all. What's bothering you?"

Salmoneus looked up at Angela and replied, "Um… do you mind coming down?"

Angela chuckled. She wasn't sure how he was going to react to this since she was like an acrobat when it came to running around Bobby's junkyard. Still she went for it and replied, "Give me a second."

Easing her body over the edge, she used her upper arm strength to steady herself. She was well aware that she was at the sufficient height that could break a human back but she was not a normal human. Might as well expose the guy to that since he was exposed to Hibah and he was familiar with gods interfering. She looked down and pushed off from the stack. She landed with a soft thud next to Salmoneus and stood up commenting, "One of my better landings."

"Okay I can see how you are Xena but not Xena," Salmoneus replied, not sure of what to make of the woman who was named the warrior princess.

Angela got a bemused look on her face. Now that the annoyance of being called that was over, she could see how funny it could be. "Why do you think I am this person?"

Salmoneus studied her and replied, "Well you look like her except she has different colored eyes and is less um…" He motioned with his hands to indicate the breasts. "You do have gauntlets just like hers. The same scrollwork and everything though that bracelet, she never wore and the star thing…" He pointed at the necklace around Angela's neck, a bit nervous since it was obvious that she wasn't like Xena in her movements, "And you don't move like her."

Angela looked in the direction of the differences he had pointed out. She could see a little now but wasn't completely convinced. The gauntlet thing though had her wondering. She knew the origins of the sigils. They were given by Hapi himself. She looked at Salmoneus and replied, "I can see about the appearance and it's safe to assume that it's not the doppelganger effect… I already had one of those. As for the gauntlets, they aren't unique to this Xena person."

"She's the only one that has worn them," Salmoneus pointed out. "And you definitely don't move like her." He had taken a step back when she adjusted her position. There was something that was predatory and unnatural to him about her movements.

"The sigils are given to a warrior by another bearing the same and it is a mark of honor; actually the highest honor," Angela explained, "So I'm guessing at some point they were given to her. As to the bracelet… that is something that probably should be answered by Artemis…"

"Artemis? You mean that is the Orion's belt?"

"Big surprise," Angela deadpanned. "Yes this is the Orion's belt. The same one that was given to the original Hunter and… you know this." She waved her hand to indicate she wasn't going to get into it. "Just holding onto it for now." She looked at Salmoneus and asked, "Are you afraid of me?" She had a slight smile on her face.

"N-not really but you do move differently," Salmoneus murmured as he watched the smile appear. He tried not to tense so much when she took a step forward.

Angela was well aware of what was going on. Perhaps it was mean but better he get it from her and her intention was not to maim or kill. She replied, "There is a reason for that you know. It comes from being what I am. Tell me, do you know of the _vrykólakas_?"

"Aren't they like Bacchai?"

"Nope," Angela replied. "Bacchai are the followers of Bacchus, as mythology goes, the _vrykólakas_ or vampire are the creatures that rely on human blood to live."

"Are you one of them?"

"Half. The Roma call my kind dhampir. I'm half human and half vampire but I don't need blood unless I am seriously injured. I do have the reflexes of one so…" To tease, Angela made her fangs show and she made a fake jump towards Salmoneus with her eyes flickering but they were playful if one was watching.

Salmoneus jumped a little and gave a slight shriek. When he realized that she was teasing, he calmed down but he was still nervous. "I get that you're not going to hurt me so… That's what I wanted to know and nice meeting you." He turned tail and ran back to the house leaving behind Angela being amused.

"That was mean even for you."

Angela turned to see Sam coming out from his hiding place. She gave a wry smile that had the tips of her fangs show. "And I see someone has gotten better at spying on me. I'll turn you into a shameless eavesdropper yet."

Sam gave a slight smile as he came out from his hiding place. He had come out with the intention to talk to her about everything that happened but the other guy Salmoneus did and he just let him talk to her. It wasn't easy he assumed being thrust into a different time and place. Of course Angela just had to be herself and he seemed to accept it even if he was a little freaked. Sam had to admit he could see the humor and didn't know if he should be ashamed or not. "I think you do enough of that for everyone."

Angela shrugged her shoulders and retracted her fangs. "Nothing new on this end. So what brings you out into my realm?" She played with her accent to make it sound like it was Transylvanian and grinned to tease Sam.

"Just, you know…"

"Oh I get it. The whole thing about the table of royalty. Nothing new there Sam since you did read a translation of it."

"How did… Never mind," Sam countered. He was going to walk into a discussion that was best saved to be annoying on purpose. Besides it wasn't a big secret that he had a secret research thing going on that had fallen by the wayside for now. Hell she was the one that challenged him with it so that was a no brainer anyway. "How are you anyway? The whole surprise visitor thing?"

"Now that I know that this is nothing more than a chase through time I'm positively thrilled," Angela replied not really meaning any of it. Like any of this was thrilling. "I get why they think we are someone else but I think I finally convinced Salmoneus, I think, that we aren't who they think we are and from all accounts there is a slight resemblance."

"I was talking more about the Ares thing. You seemed to know what it's about and yet you don't," Sam replied. He gave a slight shrug of his shoulders. "Is it something to worry about?"

Angela paused a moment to consider her words. There really was no easy way than to just say it and it wasn't like she sugarcoated much anyway. "It's Ares. He's the god of war and has a thing for really good warriors and I happen to know for a fact that Xena was his prodigy. You'll find that Dean's favorite TV show does have some truth to it."

"Okay so Dean is not going crazy with his insistence that they are from TV," Sam replied. He was concerned though about what this implied. "Seriously though, Angie, will this guy be coming after you?"

"He wants the tablet and it will only tell him what you already found out. Basically describing me and the whole princess in her own right, raised as a warrior sister to Wosret and blah, blah."

"I take it you've read it."

"And Sammy scores," Angela teased softly.

"But the one you've read is broken. Aren't you curious about the rest of it?"

"Nope," Angela replied. She started walking in no particular direction and knew that Sam would follow her. He didn't disappoint on that count and she could see that he wanted a reason why she was not interested in what the rest of the tablet said. She explained, "It is what it is Sam. I know I've been saying that a lot but that's the fact. I accept what the one I am familiar with says and have no interest in the rest. More likely it has something to do with an extreme test of saving the world or something ridiculous like saving heaven from it's own folly… weird but certainly along those lines of what has been steered my way. I don't want to know. All I care about is that if Ares does decide to get cute that I can hide Hibah since…"

Sam could understand a bit but this was unlike her. He had seen her look for something, anything to use for an advantage. Yet he could see her side of things and there was a ton of lore about Malachi and the earthbound angel; it was one less thing. He replied, "So do you have a plan to work this out? I don't want to risk anything happening to Hibah either."

* * *

**A/N:** Looks like some things were cleared up but it still looks like the table of royalty still is going to cause problems. Looks like Sam and Angie are talking like parents would. Stay tuned for next time on 'I Get That A Lot'...


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Hibah woke up and stretched in the big bed that she had been put in. She was pleased that Boomer, her stuffed dog, was still there and squeezed it as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Looking around she saw that someone was in hers and Ima's room. She sat up and looked at him.

He had dark hair and had the bluest eyes she had ever seen. He was dressed in a suit like the kind Abba and Amitz would wear when they went to work and he had a coat. It was really big and looked baggy to her but it seemed to suit the man. Hibah stared at him as he stared back with his hands to his side… like a stiff poker.

Climbing out of bed and rubbing Cerebus on the head, Hibah hugged Boomer to her chest and walked forward. She wasn't afraid of him but she felt like she knew him and he wouldn't hurt her. She looked up at him and he looked down at her. Finally she said, "What's your name?"

If Castiel thought the question was odd, he ignored it for the moment. He knew he was not dealing with a normal human child and it was awkward in general. He replied, "My name is Castiel. I'm an angel of the Lord."

Hibah looked up at Castiel, not grasping the significance of what he was and it simply didn't matter. She replied, "I'm Hibah." She held out her hand like she had seen Abba do.

Castiel didn't betray his confusion at the actions of the child but followed through and extended his hand out and engulfed the tiny one in his. He said nothing though even though it was customary to do so for humans.

"You know Ima," Hibah stated as a matter of fact.

Castiel continued to look at Hibah. He was well aware of the circumstances regarding the child's choice of names for her caretaker and guardian. He replied, "Yes, I know Angela, the Malachi of Absolution."

Hibah gave a slight giggle. When the angel looked to her she explained, "Ima said you were a stiff poker. That's funny." She started walking around and examined the angel, gently touching the trench coat and running her fingers on the fabric. She studied him as if looking for something and was aware that he was very familiar to her but she couldn't understand why at the moment and it didn't matter in the least. When she was finished she said, "Casteel is good."

Castiel wasn't sure of what to make of the child's assessment or even the mispronunciation of his name. He replied, "I don't understand the significance of your assessment. I am here to watch you as a promise to the Malachi."

Hibah frowned a bit puzzled. Castiel was speaking in words she didn't understand but she liked him nevertheless. She smiled and said, "Ima likes you. I like you. Casteel like Hibah?"

It was a bizarre conversation and yet Castiel couldn't help but answer. He was asked a question so he could answer. "I… I like you."

He didn't get further since the little girl wrapped her arms around his body to give him a hug. It was like enduring a spontaneous hug from Angela. "I see the propensity for showing emotion you get from Angela."

Hibah released the angel and smiled at him. "Betfust?" She held out her hand and waited expectantly.

Castiel wasn't sure where this was going. He had no need to eat or sleep. Yet Hibah was looking at him unexpectantly. He relented and took the hand and let her lead him out of the room and towards the stairs followed by Cerebus. He was impressed by the strong grip the child had on his hand and could sense that she had reserves of strength that could be an asset for when she was older.

They went down the stairs towards the kitchen only to find that the room leading to the kitchen had three bodies on the floor and one on the couch and no one was in the kitchen. Castiel looked around and said, "No one is awake."

"Ima is awake." Hibah released Castiel's hand and began looking around. She stopped at the window and pointed, "Ima with Abba."

"That is a likely scenario. Angela trained Sam in combat…"

Hibah shook her head, "Ima with Abba."

That sentence had a lot of connotations within it and while Castiel was familiar with human pair bonding, the dynamics as well as the cultural idioms were way beyond him at times. He decided with, "I see. What do you want to do?"

"Betfust," Hibah replied immediately. "Make something for Ima and Abba and Amitz."

Castiel wasn't sure who she was referring to with that last name. He looked at the kitchen and then at the child like she had just asked him to turn the place into a giant bubble bath. "I don't know how," he admitted.

"Casteel make oatmeal. Easy," Hibah countered. She pulled the angel into the kitchen and put Boomer on a chair. She went to the pantry and opened it with her abilities. She pointed at the tin of oatmeal. "Easy."

Castiel looked around almost praying that Angela or even Bobby would come to rescue him from this. He had no idea what he was getting into and decided that there were things that were less worse than what the child was asking him to do. Seeing that there was no other recourse, he went to the pantry and picked up the tin and started to read.

* * *

"Oatmeal?"

Dean looked at what was on the stove and at Jo who was finishing and making sure that it wasn't burning. He had been hoping Angela would make bacon, eggs and pancakes; that is if she wasn't too tired from the night before. Instead he woke up to find Jo already awake and showing Hibah how to stir the oatmeal. Castiel had left after being reassured by Jo that she would watch Hibah.

Hibah turned and upon seeing Dean she said, "Easy, Amitz," and pointed at the concoction she was making.

Jo heard the name and asked, "Amitz?"

Dean shrugged his shoulders. He didn't really know why Hibah called him that and Angela just smiled and said to humor the girl. He got the feeling though that she knew exactly why and was going to use it to torment him. "Just a name she calls me aside from…"

"Uncle Dean," Hibah piped up. She beamed as she stirred the oatmeal. She looked at it and said, "Finished Jo." She put the spoon down and jumped down to get out of the way.

Dean watched as she went over to the two sleeping on the floor and poke them awake. He was surprised that she wasn't even scare of them. Then again she seemed to think that it was a game in terms of waking them up. He knew that firsthand when she woke him up by squeezing his nose shut. He had been scared of the possibility that he might have reacted like he would have if she was one of the fuglies that they took on and figured that Sam might have been too when she did it the first time.

Hibah managed to poke Salmoneus awake and was now working on Joxer. She had taken his helmet and was wearing it. To Dean it looked ridiculous since she was obviously too small for it and chuckled at the sight while fishing out his phone to take a picture. He watched as Hibah poked the sleeping man and said, "Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey."

Her face had been really close to Joxer's so when he woke up and saw her face, he gave a scream. When she screamed it was Dean's first reaction to jump in and pull her away. He had her over his shoulder and he had his Taurus pointed at Joxer who was still screaming and more so at the fact that he was faced with a Dean who looked ready to kill.

"What the hell is going on down here?"

Hibah looked up from her position to see Bobby. She said, "My fault. Tin man gets scared easy."

Bobby took in the scene. Jo was watching with Salmoneus who had learned quickly to not interfere when the actual violence was going to start. Joxer had his hands up and Dean was ready to kill as he had the little four year old over his shoulder and looked like he was going to beat a hasty retreat. He surmised that Dean was acting upon what Angela said was guard dog mode in the extreme which occurred once before and she warned was not a good thing if you didn't talk him down. "Dean, put that thing down."

Dean knew that it was just screaming but it was more like a reflex reaction. Call it a result of his and Sam refusing to let Angela go solo and hide in a hole with Hibah. He disarmed his gun and put it away. He warned, "Don't scare her again."

"Not his fault, Amitz," Hibah said as she swung her legs, kicking Dean to indicate that she wanted to be put down. "I scared him."

"Now that's settled will someone tell me why there is a racket before someone brings the whole damn house down?" Bobby was more than satisfied and chalked this up as to Dean overreacting, which was somewhat understandable. He decided to stop the train of thought since it was obvious that Dean was still high-strung about it and he needed time to cool down. He hadn't seen him act that way since Sam was a kid.

"Making betfust," Hibah explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Since Dean finally put her down, she trotted up to the grizzled hunter and started tugging on his hand. "Come on Bobby. Betfust is ready."

Bobby allowed himself to be dragged by the eager little girl and gave a warning glance when he walked right by Dean. It was rather awkward since there were two strangers from a different time and place and he had three idjit hunters and Ellen's girl along with a four year old. What wasn't there to get excited about?

Hibah was either happily ignoring the trouble, or she was just blind to it as she tugged Bobby into the kitchen where a large pot of oatmeal was waiting to be eaten. She pointed and said, "Oatmeal."

"Health food? Angie's definitely turning her into Sam," Dean muttered. "At least is there coffee?"

Jo was on that. She suspected that Hibah was a focal point that Sam and Dean obeyed and gave in to, which made Angela the disciplinarian. Of course she had noticed that Hibah followed a set of rules she had been taught and she obeyed the boys when the occasion called for it. At least she could see how far Dean would go to protect that little girl and she had no doubts that Angela would top that. "Black," she said as she held out a mug.

"What's coffee?"

Dean hadn't had his morning coffee yet and already he was getting stupid questions. He looked at Joxer who was noisier than the Impala when she got a tick in her engine. He asked, "You don't know what coffee is?"

"Probably because it doesn't grow in their part of the world," Jo said. She handed a small cup to Joxer. "Just a taste black. Won't kill you." She then turned to see Bobby dishing up a bowl and telling Hibah to sit down.

Dean just followed, hoping that by ignoring the two annoying strangers he could go about a normal day. He even managed to suck it up and accept a bowl of oatmeal. If Sam said a word he'd… Dean looked around and noticed something. "Where's Angie and Sam?"

"You mean Xena and Hercules?" Joxer asked the question but was elbowed for his troubles. He looked at Salmoneus and said, "Hey!"

"Ex-nay," Salmoneus replied as he motioned towards Dean. To the others he said, "The last I saw… Angela, she was out in the middle of the er…" He motioned towards the junkyard.

"Ima is with Abba," Hibah said as she took a bite. She pushed Boomer to a better spot on the table. "They are together. Ima is happy."

Dean looked at Hibah who was eating quietly after she spoke. A few thoughts crossed his mind. The first was that if Sam got his head out of his ass about his feelings then that was cool. The second was the fact that Hibah spoke as if she knew that was what was going on. He asked, "How do you know that?"

"Ima is always happy with Abba and Amitz."

* * *

"You sure about this?"

Angela looked at Sam as they walked through the streets of town with a slight frown, "We need to make our guests a little less conspicuous."

"That's not what I meant," Sam replied as he handed her the cup of coffee that he had bought. Having spent the night in the woodshed was an experience that he knew wasn't going to wash away with coffee.

The shed/house was where he and Angela had ended up after their nightly stroll and she explained a few things especially about that maelstrom thing that she had been cursing about the night before. They had tea of all things and talked on the battered couch she had put in there and that was where they fell asleep.

It had been an awkward fit but it was comfortable. It was the warm feeling one got and they didn't want to get up. He was up first though and would have snuck out except she woke up. She came up with the idea to go for a supply run for their visitor since she assumed that they would have to look for the oracle and their visitors needed to blend in. So they left in the Camaro since Dean would have thrown a bitch fit about the Impala and went to town.

Angela looked at Sam after accepting her coffee. He had gotten her a latte, similar to his with all the girly stuff as Dean would say. She never really had the fancy coffees even when they became popular. She was straight up black since it was how she learned to drink the stuff and the strength of it depended on how tired she was. Of course the boys didn't know that and on occasion when Sam went on a coffee run, he would bring one back for her. She admitted that the iced coffees were good with a hint of chocolate and caramel. Calories in a cup. The latte was her first and she tasted it. Knowing that Sam was waiting for a reply, she said, "I am sure."

"Hibah will be okay?"

Angela resisted the urge to smile. First Sam was a worrywart over her when she did grade- A stupid and got hurt and now he was worried over Hibah. It was a pleasant thing to see. Too many times had she seen hunters lose their compassion. At least Sam wasn't in danger of losing his and by extension Dean. "Of course," she replied. "What's wrong Sam?"

Sam felt the warmth of his latte in his hands and looked at it for a moment before replying, "It's just that you were so insistent about protecting Hibah and…"

"I trust you and Dean, right?" Angela replied giving a slight smile. She switched her coffee to her left and continued, "Sam, I know you and Dean will look after Hibah. Cas, I trust with my life. He's had my back even when I wasn't looking and you know Jo and Bobby."

Sam was agreeable to that. Still there were some apprehensions. "Are you this trusting with your… strays?"

Angela looked before crossing the street to a secondhand store that would have clothes for their guests. "We would watch each other's sixes but anything more than that… Consider that you are part of an exclusive club."

That had Sam relax a little about leaving Hibah and it wasn't like she wasn't with someone trustworthy like Dean and Bobby and Jo. The trust in the angel was a bit on the fence since angels, at least the ones he had met weren't exactly the BFF type and Castiel tended to have a stick up his ass. Considering her words, it was much said about her when she said that he and Dean were one of the few people that she trusted more than she would a partner. In his view it was her way of making an ultimate confession. He asked, "An exclusive club of how many years?"

"A few years," Angela replied thoughtfully. "It became full-fledged about a year ago. Most of the time it was if I got lucky and if someone decided that I needed mothering and wouldn't take no for an answer." She couldn't help but smile at that last bit since that was pretty much how Ellen had been when they first met.

Sam gave a slight smile, "Ellen is like that. I'm surprised you let her get away with it."

"I humor her," Angela corrected with a smile. "And if you dare tell her that, I will do something that may or may not include your precious laptop."

"No arguments there," Sam replied raising his hands slightly in mock surrender. He knew that she was capable and could do it if she set her mind to it. "And I'm not going to pull Dean out it if he gets in trouble."

Angela couldn't help but laugh as they came to the secondhand store. She paused before going in. She looked at Sam and said, "But seriously, had I had Hibah five years ago, I would think twice before leaving her with a fellow hunter. Maybe I would have considered the princess but it would have been like waiting for an eighty year old grandma to cross the street with a walker. And honestly I never thought I would be here now. So… Hibah will be fine. How much trouble could she get into?"

Sam took her speech silently. She had changed from the pain in the ass, her words, she was when they first met and he wouldn't deny that. He ended up replying to her question saying, "She's four years old."

"And?"

"That usually means trouble."

"And yet she is so well behaved," Angela countered as she opened the door. "Better than another four year I remember especially when he gave his brother a hard time over going to bed." She gave a slight smile before heading to the men's clothing.

Sam wisely stayed quiet while she perused for clothing. She had an eye for sizes and he was confident that she would find something. He just followed her occasionally serving as a packhorse, remembering how she did the same when they were in Sheridan. There was something restful about it and it was almost normal.

It continued until she found something for each of their guests and paid for it with cash. He didn't ask where she got the money since that was a can of worms and one he wasn't anxious to pay a visit to. He suggested stopping for breakfast after putting the bags into the Camaro. She agreed to it and headed towards the diner they ate in the night before.

They were about there when they noticed the crime scene tape and the cops walking about doing their job. It immediately had Angela tense up and Sam was afraid she might vamp out and freak out people. She didn't though and immediately started forward to take a look and he followed.

Angela managed to get close enough not to be noticed and looked around. She couldn't see actually inside except through the door and he could make out the mess on the floor. She could see the detectives going through the diner doing whatever it is that they do and the crime scene unit was around. She found an officer and asked, "What happened?"

"Robbery gone bad," he replied. "Some guy came in and killed the chef and nearly did in the waitress."

Angela looked up to see the ambulance. The EMTs were finishing loading up the patient. It was the waitress from the night before. While it was the possibility that it could have been a robbery but she knew this diner well. Bobby introduced her to it when she showed up on his doorstep and stayed for those three months.

The diner was one of many that dotted the roadside of America's highways. It wasn't of the high end quality in terms of appearance but the food was pretty decent. The nice thing was that the people that came in didn't ask questions… well they weren't nosy. It was typical diner talk and people did mind their own business and they made a fairly decent cup of coffee.

The other benefit was that it was frequented by hunters on the road. She found that aside from manning the phones, Bobby would meet with hunters especially if they needed something. She figured it was more along the lines that few people were graced with the privilege of being at his house and she wasn't talking about the junkers he towed for money. When she was with him she frequented the place when he had an early day and on occasion would meet with a hunter and pass information on.

She was brought out of memory lane when she spotted Sheriff Jodie Mills coming. She moved away since she didn't want to cross her at the moment. She knew that Bobby wasn't the most popular fellow with Sheriff Mills and that consisted of Bobby being considered a disruptive and disgraceful drunk. Angela wasn't even sure the sheriff knew about her and her relationship to Bobby so she would just rather not get into that mess. She turned and walked back to where Sam was looking for her.

It was reflexive to grab his hand as she said, "We need to go." She pulled him by the hand and led him down a back way to have a discussion.

Sam was wise enough not to say anything until they were a distance away. It was then he asked, "Something up?"

"Not sure but knowing this place, I don't think it's a simple robbery gone bad. Not for a place like that… and they had decent cup of coffee," Angela replied as they walked down a street that looked more like an alleyway.

Sam felt his lip twitch. He knew she had a thing for coffee and wouldn't pass up a good cup of it. He sobered though and replied, "You thinking…?"

"No idea but somehow I get the feeling that it has something to do with our two visitors. Jo did mention that there were several occurrences of lightning storms. Perhaps more than one…" She made a slight face at that.

"Meaning that probably Ares…"

"Yep." Angela pursed her lips at that thought. "That means a lot of fun," she added with the sarcasm heavy on her tongue.

Before Sam could say anything, they were surrounded. He recognized them from the night before. They were the same guys that Angela beat up and they weren't looking very happy at all. They surrounded them and the leader said, "Did you think that we would forget about last night so easily little bitch?"

* * *

**A/N:** Morning has come and it looks like things are getting a little rough. Looks like Sam and Angie have gotten into trouble again. Stay tuned for next time on 'I Get That A Lot'...


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Sam had his fair share of getting jumped and most of it, aside from hunting and the like, came from training for that tournament. Yet even those felt like the real thing since they didn't go easy. This was very real and it looked like these guys were going to mean every punch and kick they were going to give and certainly if Angela dished it back.

She was tense and ready to go but she had that calm that was really unnerving. She looked at the leader of the bunch and replied, "Seriously? You boys didn't get enough?"

"No one makes a fool out of us and we'd like it if you hand over those two idiots from before," the leader replied as he fished into his pocket. He pulled out a handgun and pointed it at them. "Now play nice and maybe I won't shoot pretty boy here." He pointed the weapon at Sam.

Sam felt his throat convulse. They really weren't in a good position to call for help since they were in a back alleyway and it wasn't in one of the best parts of town. However, there were cops nearby and if they heard something… The click got his attention and he stood there with his hands loosely at his sides. He didn't want to give the guy any reason to get an itchy trigger finger even though he was confident that Angela could disarm the guy quicker before he got it into his head to pull the trigger. Still he wasn't going to take any chances.

Angela narrowed her eyes even though every fiber of her being wanted to lash out for even suggesting that the bastard would hurt Sam. That was Dean behavior and good for most things but definitely not this since she was not human and anything she did would be sure to freak them out. She would probably be amused by that since human reactions were much more interesting when she was in the mood. Right now they were in a jam and the immediate threat was to Sam and as far as she was concerned rule number one was in play.

Looking at the leader she said, "Look I wasn't doing anything until you made it an issue. I would say lesson learned."

"Not really. Now tell us where those two idiots are and the tablet and maybe we'll let you go."

Angela felt her eye twitch slightly. So they knew about the tablet? That meant that someone did follow the two guests and whoever it was, they weren't the kind to play nice. Probably they sweet talked these guys into a sweet reward for their help or if it were demons, they were more likely possessed or they did it willingly. There were hundreds of possibilities and it all ended with them asking for something that she didn't have any intention of giving up. She looked at Sam and then at the leader, "What tablet?"

"Don't be stupid. Those two idiots had it and they went crying to you. He said you would have it so give it up." He moved the gun from its position pointed at Sam's chest towards the head. "Or your boyfriend gets it."

Angela knew she couldn't act physically. She decided on going mental and she didn't care if she overstepped boundaries. She replied, "So you want to cause a scene where there are cops nearby?" At the same time she sent to the leader through her mind, _So, you want to play a game of chicken? Do you really want to tempt Fate?_

The leader blinked for a moment. He heard one voice out loud and then there was a second one. They were both from the same person. How was that possible?

_You want to risk possible dismemberment and death. I can do much worse than what a gun can do._

Angela kept her eyes locked on the leader. She was going to let his imagination do most of the work but she sent a few images to suggest the thoughts to run in that direction. She watched as he quivered a bit. The others were getting nervous. She continued, _If you pull that trigger and hurt my partner, what you see in your head will be heaven compared to what I will do to you._

The leader quivered. The voice in his head was a lot different than the one that had been heard by everyone else. The threat was clear in the tone but it was all in his head. It was a trick. He said, "Tell us where they are. I swear I will shoot."

"No you won't."

"Oh won't I? What me."

_You do it and I will bleed you dry and that will be after I break every bone in your body._

"Shut up!" The leader brought the gun towards Angela and pointed it at her chest. He was quivering a bit. "Now give it up. I swear I will shoot." He looked at Angela who was looking at him like he was crazy. What the hell?

Sam looked at Angela who was looking at the leader like he was crazy. He said, "We don't have it."

_Now you want to go that route. Do you have any idea what you are getting yourself into?_

"I said shut up!"

The guy would have pulled the trigger but his hand was grabbed and he was pulled forward by Angela and she took the gun from his hand leaving him weaponless. She pointed it back at him and then at the others who backed away slightly before pointing it back at the leader. She said, "Why don't you boys just go back to the hole you crawled out of."

The group didn't need to be told twice. They left except for one but that didn't matter. She turned her attention towards the leader and asked, "Now maybe you can answer my questions. First off, who sent you?"

The leader looked at Angela. She had the gun now but… When she gave him a slight push, he replied, "I don't know his name but he said that you had what he wanted. He paid us a bundle to keep an eye out for you and to get the tablet."

"And he works for?"

"No idea but he's knows you have it."

Angela scrutinized the guy. He was nothing but a bully and generally a coward. He was the type you hired to do the heavy lifting and then whatever. She looked at him straight in the eye with a calm and bland expression that terrified him since it looked like she was going to do something like kill him. Still looking she said, "Go."

The leader didn't need to be told twice. He high tailed it back in the direction that he had come from. He didn't care if he never saw her again. He had enough. That guy could find her on his own. He'll be muscle but he wasn't going to do that again.

Angela watched him leave and asked, "You all right Sam?"

"Yeah," Sam replied still taking in the fact that the douche was once a tough guy but now running like a scared girl. If he had to venture a guess she must have done something that made the guy wig out like he did. "I'm good. You?"

"Peachy," Angela replied as she disassembled the hand gun into its components. She tossed them aside as she said, "Nice of you to stick around Cary. I thought you'd book after the rumors you've heard."

The one who stayed stepped forward and he didn't look pleased at all. He replied, "Please, you don't scare me." He gave a wry grin since he knew the score with their arrangement and he was a little intimidated by her. "I see you still hang around with stick up his ass."

Sam took offense and Angela held him back. She tossed the last bit of the disassembled gun aside and replied, "Didn't think you went for the bad boy biker look. New meat?"

Cary looked at his meat and his eyes flickered black to show he was a demon. "Temporary. My full time meat is rotting in some barn looking like it passed out drunk."

"Bad visual," Angela replied. "So what are you doing here?"

"Bringing a message," Cary pointed out. When he saw the look on her face he countered, "No it's not from the boss man. You do need to worry about him though but that's the least of your troubles."

"Is this going to be twenty questions," Sam asked bristling slightly. He never liked Cary and was distinctly aware that he was being a bit of a hypocrite with the whole demons giving help thing. After all he accepted help from Ruby and Angela played nice though he was certain that she would have rather gone one on one with the demon than do that and he knew why. He could be civil but it wasn't in his nature. "Why are you here?"

Cary studied Sam. He certainly hadn't mellowed out but it was rather amusing. After all Cary knew things about Angela and her likes and dislikes and it was funny at how she would carry out her little 'truces'. She was like a dealing devil. He gave a slight grin, "Being civil now are we Sam? Never pegged you to be one of those guys considering our past interactions."

"Let's just say there are more important things than me wanting to stick you," Sam countered.

"With what? You don't have your demon killing Ginsu with you," Cary mocked. He gave a slight chuckle as he looked at Angela who was looking at him with a non-amused expression. "Look the boss man is not the problem though he is after the same thing the other guy is after and they seemed to be very interested in what it has to say about you." He pointed at Angela.

"Big surprise," Angela replied as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't really care what it's about but I do want to know who the other player is."

"Well I can tell you he ain't from around here. Nice thing about what I do is I can see things and hear them." He gave a slight grin in her direction but continued, "Anyway the guy seems to be the right hand of some god and he really is obsessed with you. Kept saying something about beauty and deadly and bunch of other things. Anyway it was his handiwork in the diner. He's staked out the bar these barflies hang out in as his base. Seems to think they are his kind of muscle."

"Well considering…" Angela nodded in a sort of agreement. She could get the picture. "So is he an enforcer?"

"Well not the kind a bitch princess can make," Cary replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "But he is one. He is considered the best since they don't go handing out crests of gods like candy; especially if he belongs to Ares."

Sam didn't really like being in this conversation but he had to admit they were getting answers. "So this guy is one of Ares'?"

"Yep and is really good. Better keep an eye on her ass stick. He's not afraid to summon the big guy himself," Cary countered. He looked around figuring that he had stayed long enough. "So just do what you always do Sweets. Oh by the way, the boss man found someone and he's pissed that she's not talking. He's got your Oracle."

Before either of them could say anything, Cary was gone leaving them there. Seeing as they had lingered long enough, they started walking towards the Camaro. Breakfast was forgotten at the moment since they had more important things to do.

* * *

Ciane looked at the room she had been thrown in and noted the mildew smells everywhere. It was pretty nasty and she could admit that a pigsty was cleaner. This place looked like it was once a place to store things but granaries and storehouses she had seen were much more organized. Even the ones that had been abandoned had more order to it. As it were there was nothing to do about it since she was stuck here and all because one of the demons got the drop on her. She couldn't believe that she didn't see it.

She had charged with the power of the goddess behind her and she gave it all she got but that sneaky little weasel blindsided her and gave a sneak attack. She was down and the demon had her and now she was stuck here with that same weasel… who was currently lying on the ground. She looked at the body and scowled, tempted to kick it.

The weasel, who gave his name as Cary said that he hadn't meant to hit her so hard but he had to play his part. She questioned him and even got him in a headlock to get him to tell her what he was doing. It was then that she found out that he knew the warrior princess and that he was trying to find a way to let her know of the situation.

Ciane hadn't believed him at first. After all why should she trust a demon? As a general rule, they were lying, cheating and all the vices of human nature. They basically lived to deceive and then they possessed you or did terrible things to you. Yet this demon said that he did work for the warrior princess. She found that hard to believe and when he offered to try and find her, she found herself agreeing even though she debated about it for some time. In the end she had little choice and if there was a chance, she should probably take it.

So Cary smoked out of his body and left. She had been waiting there the last few hours and it came to a few conclusions. She figured that this Cary fellow was very high on the trust list since no one had come in to check and make sure that she tried to escape. In reality it wasn't a necessity since there were guards outside and there were some insurance traps of the supernatural variety. She wasn't a demon but there were ways to keep a prisoner from escaping. So she had to commend Cary slightly for using his position to execute this plan.

Secondly, she concluded that the warrior princess of this time was skilled in the art of persuasion. That had to be the case if she managed to persuade a demon to feed her information on what the other side was doing. It was a good tactic from a warrior/military standpoint. After all if Cary was high up on the food chain in this nest of demons, then he was in a good position to know what was going on everywhere. That was just more points on the prowess of the warrior princess and if this was true that meant she was the one that could inspire whole armies and they would follow without question.

There were few leaders back home that were capable of rallying troops. They were the ones that were successful in their battles. Yet from the stories that had been told about a warrior princess that would lead the earthly armies in the battle of the ages, she concluded that there was something more to that one and that maybe her convincing the demon to switch sides was a characteristic of it. Ciane knew that it was a rather almost ridiculous idea but even she knew that what was written was not always literal fact. True that the event s did happen but the details varied. That was why the Oracles and what was called the Prophets didn't go into too much detail. A strange situation but it provided food for thought.

Growing impatient, Ciane stood up from where she was sitting and began to pace. She was surprised that she had been left with her knife since it was a tool that she could use to escape. She really didn't like the situation and it made her suspicious of Cary and his motives. In a fit of frustration, she looked at his body and gave a good kick right in the midsection.

"Hey easy on the good darling."

Ciane scowled at the demon as he leered at her from his position on the ground. She stepped away muttering, "Despicable creature."

Cary got up and stretched, glad to be back in his original meat. He was rather fond of his body and he did have a slight fondness for the battle scars he had endured especially by his handler. He replied, "Hey, I just gave you a means of actually letting someone on the right side know you are here. The least you could do is say thank you."

Ciane looked at Cary as she crossed her arms. "Alright then. Thank you. Now can you tell me that you at least found who you were looking for?" Her voice was slightly raised and carried an edge to it. She was just plain annoyed.

"Shh. Not so loud Sweets," Cary hissed as he dusted himself off. "Just because it's just us in here doesn't mean that you get to blab everything."

"Maybe I should considering that what you just did was ore along the lines of backstabbing and betrayal," Ciane spat in a heated whisper. She turned away to look into the darkness. The only light that was available came from the warehouse lights and even they provided little comfort in the whole thing. She looked back at the demon just to give a stare of annoyance.

"Now that would be stupid. Even Absolution knows better than to do something like that and she's as straight an arrow as they come. Well that is if she's not overly pissed to the point where it is just plain scary," Cary replied. He had waved his arms to emphasize his point.

"I still can't see how it is that she got you to switch sides."

"Oh I didn't switch sides, love," Cary replied as he checked his meat to make sure that everything he had was still there. This was one of the finer points that he was always quick to make sure that it was clear. "I'm on no one side."

"You don't have a side? I find that hard to believe since you were so eager for me to believe that you actually knew the warrior princess and could find her to get her a message," Ciane replied in a scoffing manner. She was probably treading on thin ice but at this point she didn't care. She wasn't going to give up what she knew about the tablet. It wasn't about duty anymore. It was a matter of principle on her part.

"Believe it or don't believe it but I know Absolution and I found her with stick up his ass… she never goes anywhere without him or Shorty… and I told her that the boss man has you. What she decides to do with the info is up to her. More likely she'll be thinking of a means of escape for you." Cary walked over to where there were some boxes stacked and made himself comfortable. It wasn't exactly the apartment he used but it was comfortable for the most part.

"So what did you tell her?"

"Gave her what she needed to know. It's the currency we deal in." Cary began cleaning his nails. He picked them and then started buffing them on his leather jacket. "You see I deal in the specialty items… sort of like a black market thing. I'm one of the few that really knows how to get things. One of the most valuable items that we low level dealers have is info. That stuff is worth more than a soul if you catch my drift. So that is what she comes to me for and I get paid."

"With what? A body for you to possess or maybe make a deal with?"

"Hell no," Cary replied looking at Ciane like she was crazy. "Absolution doesn't deal with dead bodies. My fee is that I get to live and breathe another day." He studied Ciane's reaction to his payment from Angela and could see the confusion. He explained, "Let me tell you something Sweets: I've lived as long as I have because I learned very quickly that you don't mess with a girl like Absolution unless you have lost the desire to live."

"And I'm sure you have gotten plenty of threats from your other clients," Ciane deadpanned. She was surprised at the manner in which Cary and the warrior princess dealt with their relationship but it was still a difficult thing to swallow. After all, why would a demon be scared of the warrior princess? It wasn't like she had any abilities save for persuasion and maybe a whole lot of courage.

Cary chuckled a bit at the naïve statement. "Oh ho, she's different. Most people who deal with us are opportunists to change their luck or they are hunters who shoot first and ask questions later. Absolution is the kind to make a Q&A slow and arduous. Gives a whole new meaning to the term of persuasion."

"I am well aware of that talent. The warrior princess is after all supposed to rally the troops…"

"Not like Absolution. It's the darker side that while delectable to us, it is to be feared and respected." Cary leaned forward to capture Ciane's eyes. His expression said that he was serious about what he was telling her. Sure the Winchesters knew this already and probably Dean did more than Sam since he actually got to see it but most people couldn't believe it even if they saw it with their own eyes and maybe it was a little bit of exaggeration but hey why give the spoiler that the reason why Absolution was feared so was because of her power?

"I'm sure she would have good reason to use it on the likes of you."

Cary curled his lips in wry smile. He tugged on the sleeve of his turtleneck and pulled it up to reveal the scar from Absolution's knife. "Yep. She did have good reason and let's just say that I still piss her off but I know better than to ask for that again." He pointed at the scar to emphasize the fact that he was being deadly serious about this. "Most of the time I get a kick out of her dishing it on someone else… but that's just me."

Ciane looked at the scar. It was long and white and it looked like it had been deep. Now she knew that you could shoot, stab and crush a demon but as far as she knew, there were no sure fire way to kill them. That simply didn't exist but there were spells to remove them from a person. This looked like it was from something that may have caused the demon a great deal of pain. No doubt it was one of many that convinced him to feed her information. "Looks painful."

"It was but it gave me an interesting perspective into Absolution's philosophy. Most of the time it is a battle of words but some respond more favorably to threats and torture though it really is a bit out of character."

"Desperate times."

"You have no idea, Sweets," Cary replied as he rolled down his sleeves. He gave a slight grin and clapped his hands together. "So now have I passed your inquisition? Do you trust I know about Absolution?"

"Not entirely. It's in your nature to lie."

Cary made a slight face but acquiesced to that assessment, "Alright. I'll buy that since that is the demon package deal. Then again…"

"If you must know, I'm willing to give a little," Ciane interrupted. She had enough of Cary mentioning some deals or incidents that involved sex. She had seen enough with the Bacchai followers and the like. "So what did you tell her?"

"Oh just everything about the enforcer from Ares since I learned that he is interested in her."

"Not good," Ciane muttered.

"Relax, princess. Absolution has handled this before and she does have stick up his ass to be the hero. Seriously that game is getting old but it is pretty funny," Cary countered as he went on a side track. "I also told her about your little situation. Don't know how much good it will do since it will be hard to see her again unless she summons me so…"

"I get it," Ciane replied. She couldn't believe that she was doing this. She was working with a demon but then again she had been warned that sometimes you needed to work with the devil but just make sure that you didn't get swallowed by it. "So is there a plan?"

Cary sat up from where he had been lounging. He gave a satisfied smile. He was going to enjoy this. Sometimes you had to create your own entertainment and he was an odds man. He would bet on the Oracle and Absolution. "Certainly."

* * *

**A/N:** Looks like Cary made an appearance. What is his game aside from some entertainment? Stay tuned for more 'I Get That A Lot'...


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"Please don't tell me that you actually believe that guy."

Angela looked at Dean with a raised brow as she ran her hand through her hair. She was starving and was not in the mood for this discussion that always made her feel like she should get a vat of chocolate ice cream and sit and watch sappy soap operas. At least it was a work meeting so it was the three of them plus Bobby and Jo. She was praying that Joxer and Salmoneus weren't getting into trouble with Hibah. That was a headache she didn't need. She replied, "Cary has no reason to lie to me Dean. You know that just as well as I do."

"I think you said that about Bela and we all, well most of us know what a skank she was," Dean countered. "Why are you even going to trust his word?"

"Hasn't lied to me yet," Angela countered.

"Really?" Dean knew he was probably going overboard with this but given the fact that Cary had shown up out of the blue and decided to give important information on their missing oracle… that was like a big neon warning sign in his mind. "How do you even know?"

Angela felt the urge to make an unladylike snort. It would probably be appropriate and was more like a roll up to explosion. So it was a calm before the storm thing. She gave a slightly exasperated sigh and replied, "He is in capable of lying to me. Irritating, yes, especially when it is important but lying… no."

"Not to go against ya Angie but a demon?" Bobby wasn't too sure about this. He knew that there had to be certain ways in which she had gotten her information. He just never figured her for working with a demon for it.

_So it's everybody gang up on me this time_, Angela thought wryly to herself. She replied, "He's a stoolie, Bobby. It's like a cop handling an informant. You just gotta know how to handle with care."

"And I suppose your truce fits into that?"

"Dean," Sam quietly warned. Now was not the time or the place to point out hypocrisy if it existed.

"Shut up Sam."

Angela chewed her lower lip in an effort to control the urge to shout. She disliked it since it didn't get you anywhere most of the time and the last time she did that… it was… Instead she replied calmly but her voice got low and it sounded dangerous, "Ruby is different and it's complicated. Cary, in the crudest of terms, I bitch whipped and that's less complicated."

Sam, at the same time as Jo, saw that this could not end well. Jo saw the physical causes and Sam saw the emotional. It was Jo who said, "Okay fine. Look I for one think that this is some news no matter who it comes from. The fact that someone is looking for the two time ninjas means that this is big."

"Not to mention that he wants a piece of ya," Bobby muttered, grateful that Sam and Jo were on top of refereeing. It wasn't that he didn't want to but he was more inclined to be in Dean's mindset and question her relying on this Cary guy.

"Same song and same verse, Bobby," Angela replied softly. She sighed and continued, "Look the point is that the enforcer belongs to Ares and he is looking for the tablet. A demon has our oracle and at this point…" She waved her hands, "I have nothing in terms of a plan except to try and hunt the guy and avoid Ares while I'm at it."

"Great plan Angie," Dean deadpanned. "I see some real genius in that."

"Bite me," Angela replied. "You got any ideas, shoot one my way." She looked at Dean with a piercing glance, praying that her headache would go away and she could escape to grab something. As it were, she was ready to go pouncing on one of the wildlife that frequented the salvage yard and she actually liked cats.

Dean really couldn't say anything. What were they supposed to do? It wasn't like they could go and call for this Ares guy since he was a god and not any god but a god of war. That was just… "I don't have anything," he admitted, "Short of chasing after it."

"That's better than nothing," Bobby said. "Ya just gotta do it smart. Maybe play on a god's weakness."

Angela was intrigued. It was simple and one of the oldest tricks in the book. Maybe that might help… "Sounds intriguing to the point where maybe we get the players together and then…" There was something there.

Dean recognized it and it was déjà vu with Anna and the angels and demons. "No way Angie. You don't even know what demon has the Oracle even if it was a demon." He looked at her with a look that he knew she would understand.

Angela studied the look. She knew what he was asking her not to do. _Are you afraid of it being him, Dean?_ Out loud she replied, "What choice is there? I have a good idea of who the demon is."

"If Angie knows who this guy is," Jo started. She paused when three pairs of eyes looked at her. She continued, "Hey, I may not know much about her little truces but if anything what's up in that brain of hers is worth taking a listen to… even if it hurts. She knows that." She then left the room on the pretext of making sure that Hibah was okay.

Angela was the only one that didn't turn in Jo's direction. Jo was right in that regard. There were times she had to drudge up recent pasts and use them in battle. God she was thinking like she was at war again with a battalion at her beck and call and that was… an experience. Hearing Jo and the confidence she had in her… it was a bolster as she looked at the remaining hunters who were looking at her with a sense of doubt. She straightened up, headache forgotten and looked at them and said, "I know or rather have an idea which demon it is and I know how to track it. As far as I'm concerned, I aim to find the Oracle, give her the tablet and send her back and to whoever is the next keeper or whatever they are called. I am doing it."

Giving one last look, Angela turned and walked out. Hunger for food was forgotten. She needed something else to deal. She needed the time to finalize her plan even if it seemed selfish in her mind. Sometimes she just plain hated what life dealt her. She knew exactly where to go and made a beeline for it. It was just the thing.

* * *

Dean looked out the window and drank the length of whiskey that he had poured himself. It was a bit early in the day for it but he couldn't help it. He knew that this was a bad idea. It was grade-A stupid in his mind. Bringing the demon and the god together? That wasn't Godzilla and Mothra; that was Godzilla teaming up with Mothra and taking on him and Sam and the wild card Angela, who proved to be in their favor so far but that didn't mean that it was going to last.

"Ya know Angie's been at this game longer than all of us in this house put together," Bobby said as he continued to watch Dean. "She knows what she's doing."

"Yeah but it's a first that she has a kid to take care of and… Bobby how does she even know that it's some other demon and not say… Lenya?"

Bobby looked up at Dean. He figured that there was more to this and it was eating away at Dean. That boy needed to talk to her and tell her exactly how he felt about it. He frowned and replied, "She's a demon tracker."

"Oh Bobby," Dean replied with a scowl and wave of his hand. "She's not a demon tracker. She's a hunter with a creepy but cool ability to pick out a demon in a crowd. And yeah she may have her own demon killing knife and there's Absolution… but she's a hunter."

"Idjit," Bobby muttered as he turned to pull out a book from his stack. He opened it and thumped it hard on the table. He tapped it and replied, "She's a demon tracker Dean. It's there in black and white. Or do you doubt the lore?"

Dean glared at Bobby as he looked at the book. It was there in black and white. He knew that she knew demons well. She knew how to track them and summon them. Hell she had one under her thumb. He was her freaking stoolie. The same guy helped him and Sam when they were in trouble before he went downstairs and he could have just as easily sold them out. He slammed it shut and muttered, "Damn lore."

"Dean, maybe there is a point to having her track the demon and get the oracle back…"

"And how would she do that Bobby?" Dean looked at the grizzled hunter. "You know as well as I what she was willing to do to help me before I went downstairs." He paused a moment to finish his whiskey and set the glass down. "She was willing to cut a deal and it wasn't going to be anything like what me or Dad got."

"Don't talk to me like I was born yesterday," Bobby retorted, "I know." At Dean's look he gave a slight scowl. He might as well give most of what he knew. There were some things that he wasn't going to tell though. "I know she wanted to take yer deal. I was the one that helped her."

"Wait, you helped her?"

"She asked."

"You helped her put that plan together?"

"Don't take that tone with me boy," Bobby warned, "She asked me for help. She wouldn't have at all if I didn't get suspicious of a delivery she was expecting." He paused to pour himself some whiskey and refilled Dean's glass. He decided to tell Dean a story. "It's what she does best as a hunter. When she stayed with me there were a couple of hunts that involved a demon. She went after them and took care of them. Never went into detail about it; said nothing."

Dean picked up his glass and went to look out the window. He could see Angela sitting on one of the cars and watching Hibah play with their two visitors. "I can't believe you let her…"

"Let her?" Bobby looked at Dean like he was stupid. "Do you think I'm stupid? I didn't let her do anything. It was her choice."

"Yeah and look where that got her." It was an unfair remark and Dean relented. "Bobby, I've seen her reaction to these bastards. She looks ready to kill Ruby every time she shows her face. Lenya makes her want to vamp out in the extreme…"

"And you think that this would get her to go off the reservation," Bobby clarified. He shook his head at that. "Don't be an idjit. She won't go far and if it ever happens… she's got ya two boys." At Dean's look he continued, "She was a miserable little bitch those three months. As soon as ya three got back on the road… and don't think I haven't noticed that thing with Sam."

Dean couldn't help but chuckle at bit even if it was a bit forced. He looked at Bobby, "At least I'm not the only one to notice. It sure is a lot of laughs at times but I try not to do it in front of her. She's still a baby."

"Tell me about it." Bobby clinked his glass against Dean's in agreement. He took a sip and sighed a bit. "Seriously, Dean, she knows what needs to be done. Doesn't mean that she's happy with it. Means she has more practice in keeping a strong face for the sake of everyone else."

"Guess I should apologize. She knows I have my doubts."

"You and me both."

"Sam too. Damn that must've hurt her and Francis doesn't even see how much."

"I wouldn't go discounting Sam just yet," Bobby said. He had noticed movement outside the window. He motioned with his head. "Boy's not an idjit. He can see… just not the way that he should."

Dean turned to look out the window and saw his brother's tall form walk up and join Angela to watch Hibah. Sam always seemed to know when to have a talk with her and they could talk just about anything. At least they were talking even if his brother was a bonehead at times. "You got that right," he muttered as he finished his whiskey. Maybe he could figure a few other things out and went to go do some research.

* * *

"I don't doubt you could find the demon and get the oracle back."

Angela continued to watch Hibah play. She was amused at how she teased Salmoneus and Joxer and they ended up chasing her. She was a clever little girl and she was already showing some prowess at combat skills. It was a bit troublesome to Angela but not really. As far as she could see there was nothing wrong with her learning a few skills but deep down she knew that it would bring Hibah closer to the world she had been born in. Yet she needed to be able to defend herself and learn that she couldn't always rely on her powers.

Angela had been thinking about this when Sam showed up and sat next to her. She heard him and took a moment before replying. She had forgiven him already for that but it had hurt. The funny thing is when she had received looks of doubt before, it didn't bother her. Most of the time her response was more of a 'screw you I'm doing it anyway' act. Then she had to make that promise to Sam about being more careful and that was one she tried hard to keep and was certain she had broken or maybe cracked a few times. It was no wonder that Sam shot that look in her direction but it hurt. She figured it had to do with the fact that she loved him. Finally she replied, "Yes you do."

Sam paused a moment to think about what he wanted to say in reply. He looked at her profile and said, "No, I don't. I'm concerned."

Angela considered his words. Maybe he didn't doubt her but the look said a lot and maybe it was worry. She couldn't even tell the difference anymore and it scared her since she didn't want to put Sam in an awkward position with mistaken revelations. Better to start out small. "Concerned? About what?"

Sam knew that she wasn't playing dumb even though it sounded like it. If she wanted to play dumb, she would have picked a pet peeve or the beginnings of a prank to do that with. When she asked a question like that, it meant that she was not sure of something and rather than ask for help, she turned it to more like a therapy session. Sam could just ask her directly what the problem was but she would counter with a question; her defense mechanism designed to be annoying and eventually piss off someone. Sometimes you just had to take the bull by the horns. "You know what," he replied, "that you might not be…"

"Oh I am thinking about Hibah and other things Sam. How can I not? You asked and I turned it into a promise."

"And you're allowed a few mistakes. You're not perfect." Sam paused and turned to watch Hibah. She had just pounced on Salmoneus and was hanging on like a little monkey to a tree. "We need the Oracle. I get that. I would think that you would have had enough of… chasing demons for a time."

Angela stared straight ahead. Even though it sounded callous of Sam at times, like the whole having the angels and demons duke it out, it was not a bad thing considering that in the end, if one wanted to think of it that way, it was a war; the whole good against evil thing. It had been that way since the beginning. Even she had said it herself that there were going to be those hard choices and not everyone was going to be happy about it. She replied, "Someone has to and you know me… I don't ignore it if it is dropped in my lap."

"I know but Dean does have a point. I know that you have a history with a few of them and he's just worried because they… know your pressure points. How do you even know which one has the Oracle? All Cary said was the boss man and I know he has… questionable loyalties." That was putting it mildly for Sam and he knew it.

Angela couldn't help but give a slight smile. "Same as I know Ruby so I guess we are even on that." She gave a shoulder bump before sighing. "I know which one Cary is talking about. We've had altercations before and he was the one that put Bela up to stealing Absolution."

"Wait, this demon wanted Bela to steal…" Sam was thinking about that time. The only player he saw was Lenya and that bitch was a pain in the ass.

"Bela made the mistake of asking Lenya for help," Angela supplied. "I never said anything because Absolution wasn't stolen and he virtually left us alone."

Sam didn't buy that. Most things didn't just leave her alone once they got a taste of what she could do. The only exception were the bastards that tried to get cute with her in the bars they frequented though the last month that didn't happen as much since Hibah walked into their lives and he could honestly be glad for that. "Nothing just leaves you alone."

"You're right because you and Dean don't," Angela teased, knowing that Sam was going to be persistent in this line of questioning.

Sam gave a look. It was a mild form of the bitch face but it was spoiled by the fact that he knew she was teasing him and couldn't help the smile. "Seriously."

Angela sighed. She knew that eventually they would have to know if it came to that point. "I didn't say anything because I honestly thought it was nothing more than Lenya being a pain at the time. Later I met the one who actually did orchestrate it. The proof was the charmed piping. It was at the tournament."

"And you didn't say anything?"

"At that point, Sam, I was at a place where… it was unspoken between me and Dean about the deal. Maybe I should have but then when I got my brilliant idea about snagging the contract… better not to."

"Wait, are you implying that this demon gave you the idea to take it?"

"How else was I to learn about the fine art of deals?" Angela had replied in a slightly bitter voice. It still sucked that she had gone through the paces of it and came out on the other side but it was like that once you taste it, it stays with you kind of thing. "It sucked but that was one step before the plan of going into the pit."

It was a lot to take in for Sam. He had always assumed that she had read up on it but here she was implying that she had actual lessons from a demon. He could be like Dean and yell at her for that but she could easily point out his association with Ruby but she wouldn't do that unless she was seriously pissed and she said it in a fit of anger. For the most part she wasn't petty like that and he knew that firsthand going back to a few other times. "So you're going to go up against the demon that taught you how to make deals?"

"Broker's rights," Angela muttered, not really listening. She was watching Hibah. She knew that in order to get the Oracle and everything back to its proper place, it would fall on her to see to it. It seemed like Murphy's Law was going into effect and she was inclined to believe in that if not anything that was more religiously inclined. "I know him and I know that he will try to get what the Oracle knows and that will be what she had written on the tablet."

Sam knew she wasn't going to answer his question directly but she did give some answer. He could take her obscure comment as an affirmative. The best he could do was follow her train of thought and be the translator if Dean or Bobby asked. He got the strange idea that Jo would know what she was thinking too and that was a thought for later. He replied, "What do you mean?"

"Oracles are in charge of their tablet until it is finished and then sent wherever; the next acolyte or someone who just hoards it until it is discovered three thousand or so years later. The Oracle won't know what the previous stuff is but she will know her bit and if I know this one, he will try something. Good thing Cary's in charge of security."

Sam digested the explanation and followed through to what she suspected would happen. Taking a moment she was behaving very much like a general. It never occurred to him to think of it that way and it was probably why some of her more radical ideas were so badly received. "I take it that it was his idea to smoke out into a new meat and… warn you?"

"Probably and I wouldn't put it past him to make a profit on it."

"Selling you out?" Sam bristled at the thought and was beginning to think Dean was right in not believing the info.

"Entertainment profit," Angela clarified, knowing where Sam was going with this. "He's on his own side mostly but let's just say that he… er… likes me and that pretty much is the reason why he won't betray me… at least not in the sense of the word." Angela frowned a bit at that last part. She never could define how it was she managed to keep Cary and all that.

Sam couldn't get it either but he felt relieved that it wasn't like a relationship he would define in the normal sense. That just seemed wrong and… who was he to criticize since he and Ruby…? He gave a slight cough and replied, "It could be that or the fact that you threaten to kill him if he ever crossed you."

"Highly doubt the latter Sam. Most demons dig it when a female hunter can get all torture queen on them," Angela replied. "Still the best bet is to give a little with Cary. He hasn't let me down yet and he did save you and Dean's asses."

"If saved you mean by leaving us high and dry with Tiamat…"

"After getting you free," Angela pointed out. "He's not chivalry Sam which is why I always take that into account when dealing with him. He knows that and part of the fun for him is to see what I will do with the situation presented to me."

"Sounds like something from when… those two months…"

"Believe me, _that_ was different," Angela corrected. "He won't do anything to the Oracle but he might encourage the enforcer to summon Ares."

"I suppose it's too much to hope that maybe he won't," Sam replied.

"Maybe," Angela replied as she watched Hibah. She had been playing some game similar to the capture the flag game. It was one that they had played before during some downtime in between the mad rush onward to the next case since the case with Anna. The basic rules for their version were that they could use any means necessary just short of physical violence. Mostly it was like a game of keep away and at the moment Hibah was keeping away from Joxer and trying to get the 'flag' or scarf from Salmoneus' old wardrobe.

She watched as Hibah pulled the same move she had on Dean and it had made him and Sam collide with each other. She watched and saw Hibah come out on top with the flag but she was ousted at the last minute. Cerebus had done a sneak attack and had stolen it. She had an idea. She voiced it, "And maybe that's just what we might need."

Sam looked over at her and noticed she was in her thinking mode. He looked over to what she had been watching and saw Hibah chasing Cerebus who was carrying the flag and Salmoneus and Joxer were chasing after them. He could see what she was getting at. "I think I see your point but…"

"It'll work."

* * *

**A/N:** Looks like arguments and some talking to moments between various players. Looks like a plan may be in action but knowing Angie she might have a few tricks up her sleeves. Stay tuned for next time on 'I Get That A Lot'...


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

He was frustrated. He couldn't believe the men of this century. They were a bunch of cowards. They were a disgrace to being a warrior. He wasn't sure that he liked this place in time if the warrior ran at the mere sight of the warrior princess. He had warned them that she was good at being devious and using her talents to concoct an escape. She had done it before the first time they went after the tablet. It wouldn't be any different.

The tavern had proved to be a good base of operations. The alcohol was better than some of the piss he had drunk before. It seemed that they got one thing right in this time and that was learning how to mix their alcohol. The smell never went away but that was the way of it and it was a minor thing compared to the situation at hand. He looked at the group that returned and especially the leader with a scrutinizing eye. He started forward, passing the dead body that was pinned to the wall by a really long piece of piping. "You let her escape?"

"You don't understand. She did something; it was like…"

"I told you she was good at deception. She will try to mislead you to the point that she will have the upper hand."

"She got inside my head."

"What?"

"Her voice. I heard it inside my head," the leader replied. "She was talking to me and I heard it inside my head. She made me see."

"Impossible. The warrior princess is capable of many things but not that."

"It's true. She made me see things that are not possible."

The enforcer growled as he turned away. There was no way that the warrior princess would be able to do such a thing. He had fought her before and knew that she trained under Ares. She was his favorite until she went to the other side. Besides such an ability was restricted to the witches and the demons that had the talent. The gods could do it too but this…

"She made me see things… things that she could do if we threatened her companion." The leader shuddered at the memory.

The enforcer listened. This was interesting. He was well aware of the warrior princess' companion. He replied, "What companion?"

"The guy that was with her. Tall fellow with shaggy hair. They looked pretty close as far as we could tell when they went to the diner," the leader replied.

_So the brother of Ares was her companion?_ The enforcer knew that they had worked together but what his hireling was implying was that they had something closer. It certainly was something to think about. "And what did he do?"

"Nothing really. It looked like he wanted to join but girl… she did most of the talking." There was some shuffling and murmurs of agreement. "She was the one that acted. He didn't."

That was interesting news to the enforcer. He knew that the brother of Ares was not one to idly stand by. He would play his role willing… This was very interesting. He would have to converse with his lord in order to be able to determine what to do next. He looked at the leader of the gang and felt he could forgive him for now. "You have disappointed me in your cowardice. However, you have brought something of value to me and it pleases me and will please my lord. Now I have a few questions."

The leader was relieved that he wasn't going to be turned into that dead body. The bar tender/owner made that mistake of trying to show who was boss and now he was paying the price literally with his life. He and his gang were all too anxious to keep their skins so they said yes to working with the guy and now they may have bitten off more than they could chew since that bitch did something. He was certain of it... but it seemed to have made the boss happy. He answered, "Alright."

"Can you tell me what she looked like?"

That was an odd question. Still the leader answered, "Just like you described except the eyes. They were different… almost like fire and she moved like a predator."

That was interesting. The enforcer was certain that something had happened in the time he had leapt forward. There were certain forces at work and it was possible… "And the male?"

"Tall, muscular. Long girly hair. Liked to hide behind her but he looked ready to deliver a blow or two."

"I take it he was young?"

"Yeah so?"

The enforcer thought about it. So it seemed that time did play an interesting turn of events on the people involved. He would have to be sure to definitely tell Ares about this. He smiled at the thought since he would probably get a chance to meet her face to face again.

"There was something else."

The enforcer looked to see one of the underlings step forward. This was something he didn't approve of but then again if someone paid attention then they would be rewarded. That was the way of it. He looked at the underling and replied, "Yes?"

"I think something was inside of me."

The enforcer looked at the underling. "Go on."

The underling paused. He wasn't sure how to describe it but he knew that if he didn't he would just make things bad all around. He replied, "Well I think something was. It was me but it wasn't me and he was talking to her afterwards."

The enforced was interested. So they were in on this too. Seemed like the boss was going to have the party that he wanted. "What did they talk about?"

"He said that his boss had the Oracle."

That was the best news the enforcer heard yet. It was also bad. If they were after it then that meant that it would be all out war. Well it would please Ares. He was the god of war after all. "So he knows where the Oracle is."

"That's what he said. It wasn't like he was talking to me but I could see what he was seeing, whoever it was." The underling wasn't sure of what to make of it. A lot of strange things were happening and he had never seen anything like it before. He didn't want to make a bad situation worse but judging from the looks he was getting, he was doing okay. "I did get a faint glimpse of something and it was a girl. Auburn and in leather… I think."

The enforcer recognized her. She was the Oracle. "So she survived after all," he mused. He wondered how she did it since she was separated from the tablet. "Was she alone?" He needed details and if he had to beat it out of the guy…

"Couldn't tell since it was more like a memory but the guy knew the bitch we were after and he seemed to know the guy. Called him stick up his ass and was cocksure about it."

The enforcer listened to the report as a plan came to mind. He had an idea of how to get the tablet and the Oracle. The bonus would be the warrior princess herself and he was sure that Ares would love to talk to her. He gave a slight smile at that. This was going to be good.

* * *

"No I am not sure of this but do you have a better idea?"

Ciane looked at the demon Cary as he peeked out the window. She really thought that things were going to Tartarus literally since she was putting her life in the hands of a demon. This was truly… She looked at him and muttered in a pout, "No."

Cary gave a smug smile and replied, "Then shut up and follow me. You want out, here it is."

Ciane followed the demon and prayed silently that she would be forgiven for doing this. "How do you even know that the warrior princess will be here to… do what she does best?"

"I know Absolution, sweetheart," Cary replied as he led the way through the warehouse. They had gotten out of the room. Now they needed to get out of the building. Once out he could put a call out to the feathered dick with wings that the Winchesters trusted so much and everything would be all and good. He then could sit back and watch the show since he 'inadvertently' let his temporary meat see what he had done in his conversation. "She'll be here and more likely with that hell on four legs she is fond of."

"What?"

"Hellhound. She'll bring her hellhound. There's no way that she will bring the Winchesters."

Ciane looked around. She felt naked without a weapon but she knew how to fight with her bare hands. It was a basic necessity since not everyone could carry a weapon. "Why wouldn't she bring these Winchesters? Aren't they great warriors?"

"Stick up his ass is a Champion and his brother is a Slayer of Demons. Thing is there are some things that they don't know about Absolution and I don't think she's gonna tell them any time soon." Cary looked around making sure the coast was clear. The last thing he needed was one of Crowley's loyal henchmen getting word back to the boss that things were going hinky. "Everything has history sweetie. Some good, some bad and some just don't talk about it unless you want the silent treatment."

"Seems a little extreme."

Cary didn't say anything except to motion for her to be quiet. He had spotted one of Crowley's men and he needed to get the element of surprise on him. Using his demon mojo, he got the drop on him but the most he could do was to exorcism him to hell. He gave a grim look and said, "Well at least you're still a bastard Harry." He looked at Ciane and motioned her to follow. "Come on."

They made it through the place without too many other encounters. Cary didn't exorcise unless it was last resort. Most of the time he could get away with a stunner spell every now and then. It worked until they got to where the door was. The room was empty and no one was there. Ciane thought he was being a pain in the ass. She said, "Look there's no one here."

Cary knew Crowley though. The guy was not king of the crossroads for nothing. He probably picked up a few tricks since he had been bested by Absolution before. He had been there when she tricked him with her fake version of Absolution. There was no doubt that something was going on and he aimed to find out. He had been careful in that he had been the big bad demon while at the same time helping Absolution out. It was a win-win since she got what she wanted and his payback was basically to make her have to work for it. Nothing wrong with that since he did have to deal with her more aggressive means of tell all. "That's what worries me."

Ciane knew better than to be exasperated. She was worried somewhat too. There had been too few guards and while it seemed typical since they were demons… she had seen guard details before. There were a few things missing and she was certain that the demon helping her noticed it too. She still didn't trust him all the way but he did seem to know the warrior princess and it seemed that they were on familiar ground. She didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing but then again another she knew had a past and some dark days. Who didn't? "Well what do you suggest?"

Cary looked at Ciane. He gave a once over and noticed something. Maybe he had a way to be sure. He looked at Ciane and said, "Stay here and keep out of trouble."

"Like that's an option," Ciane deadpanned but she did as she was told. She did give a sigh of exasperation when she looked to find the demon nowhere in sight. That was just… whatever. She kind of expected it and moved to find a place where she didn't feel too exposed.

It wasn't too hard to find something. There were plenty of shadows to hide in and there were places to keep out of sight and out of mind. Besides it was what she did most of the time when she hadn't been writing on that tablet that was the source of trouble. Why did she have to be a chosen one? Ciane knew it was rhetorical and that moaning and groaning wasn't going to help anyone. She just needed to get it back and get it to Pericles. That was all. No one said anything about a strange world with the weirdest of things…

A noise had her look up and Ciane looked around. She heard another noise and turned to find herself next to a familiar face. He asked, "Going somewhere love?"

Ciane stepped back and into the open. There was no way she could hide now. So she could just retort and maybe find some way out. "Yeah, without you."

Crowley looked at the girl with a bemused expression. "Did you really think that you would be able to get through so easily?"

"Maybe. Considering."

Crowley gave a slight chuckle. He called out, "You can come out now Cary."

Cary came out from his hiding spot. He expected Ciane to lunge at him and gave a bemused look at Crowley's sudden stop of her. He watched as she flew through the air and landed on the ground and was effectively pinned. He watched as she glared at him with hate and spat, "Traitor!"

Cary gave a no duh look and said, "Demon. Kind of part of the package."

Crowley smiled and stepped forward, "You see love, Cary knows things and one thing he knows how to do really good is to get Absolution's attention. A special arrangement like they have… makes it hard for her to say no."

"So this was a trap?" Ciane looked at the two demons. They were joined by a few others. She couldn't believe this. She had walked blindly into it and now the warrior princess was going to pay the price and that was assuming she was even coming. "How do you know she'll come?"

Crowley smiled at that. It was sheer bravado now and he rather liked it. One way or another he was going to get the information on his sweetheart. What he did with it afterwards… he might consider giving it to Lilith. "Because I know her. You see love, Absolution is like the most infuriating and loveable thing out there. She can't help but reach out to help a poor puppy stranded by the side of the road. It's in her nature and certainly the moose she hangs out with figured that out."

"Still that won't get what you need. I'm not telling and certainly she won't give it up and that is if she has it," Ciane replied. She gave a knowing smile even though she was being tugged to stay on the ground.

"Oh I always get what I want. You see, that tablet has some useful information and even if I don't get it, I have you. One way or another I will learn all I need to know about the warrior princess and the royal family," Crowley replied as he walked closer. He kneeled by Ciane and looked down. "Now you can make this easy or hard. You pick love and we'll see if things do work out in the end. I might consider letting you go."

"No," Ciane automatically replied.

"Well if you want something done, you do it yourself,' Crowley replied as he stood up. He had some ideas in mind but he couldn't damage that brain. He pressed her into the ground so that it felt like she was being crush. "Now tell me what it is that you wrote."

Before Ciane could say anything, a crash resounded and glass fell to the ground. It was followed by someone falling through the air and there was a whirring sound. More glass shattered and the circuit panel was hit. The lights began flickering and Crowley looked around until he heard, "Still trying to get one up on me Crowley?"

* * *

"I hate this Sam," Dean muttered as he sat in the Impala.

Sam looked out the driver's window, ignoring that Dean's arm was relaxing on the wheel. He didn't like this either and the argument that led to this… he knew that it was a long time in coming and was going to have everyone pissed at each other for days. Of course Den would blame him since he was the voice of reason when it came to…

"I mean why aren't we in there?"

Sam looked at Dean and then at the building. "Capture the flag, Dean," he offered. It was the same reason that she had used but that didn't mean that it made things easier to digest. She was in there alone… well not alone since she had Jo with her but that didn't make things better. In fact it just made everyone else on edge.

"Capture the flag my ass. It's a demon Sam," Dean pointed out, "And one she says she knows but won't tell us." He growled a bit at that. "Being the getaway driver because the demon knows what to go for… weak excuse."

It was but it was partially the truth. Sam said nothing about that since he knew that the reason they were out there and she and Jo were in there were because the demon knew how close their relationship to Angela was. The thing was it had never stopped her before but it had occurred to Sam that the reason was because the demon would most likely say something about what she had told him in confidence.

It had been a shocker to hear that a demon taught her the finer points of deal making. She actually gave him near chapter and verse about that whole experience. It actually made sense once he got it around his head that she would learn this kind of thing from a demon and one that was fairly high up on the food chain in terms of the hierarchy.

He was the best she had said and Sam couldn't doubt that. It made sense how they would conspire on that in that she had met him at the tournament or rather the last night before they headed back to Sioux Falls. That was how she learned that he was the one that had hired Bela to try and steal Absolution and Sam knew that once something caught her scent, they didn't just leave her alone. They always came back and often at some point later when it was least expected.

It made sense now when she had made the suggestion of bringing Lilith to them and she could do it. It would have saved the trouble but Sam got the feeling that if she had been more open about the details, then… No Dean would have shut her down completely. It wouldn't have mattered if Angela had gone after demons long before this, Dean would have probably locked her in Bobby's panic room if he knew about it then. That was how Dean was.

Sam knew he had little right to criticize her. After all he had been in cahoots with Ruby for those long months between Dean's death and his coming back. And both of them were in the shades of grey anyway since they worked with her. She was not exactly the normal human even though she looked like it. Besides Angela had told him herself that there are things that have to be done and often there is no one else to do them and not everyone was going to be happy with it. Somehow Sam couldn't shake the feeling that she had an inkling of what was going to happen and she had been preparing him the best way she knew how. Then again he found out that her backup plan was to go to hell so she could have been alluding to that.

It was a sign of trust when she showed him the book she had been studying when it came to making deals. He couldn't read it for the life of him but he could see that it had been hard and to actually show him that part of her that was linked to a past that was still a bit of a mystery… that was a big step. He just wished she trusted Dean as much but then again maybe she did since she seemed to trust him more with her feelings. It sounded unfair when Sam put it that way but that was how it seemed. She was showing the 'general' that made her known as Absolution to him and to Dean…

Sam trusted Angela. What he was musing on would only lead to problems even though they were currently in a problem with them being here in the Impala and her and Jo in that warehouse thing. Sam could get it and he was sure Dean did too. He said, "She cares about us Dean. The other side knows it too."

"I know that Sam," Dean retorted a bit heatedly. "I know but that doesn't mean she throws it all away and she cares about Jo too. What's the frigging difference?"

Sam knew that this conversation could keep Dean in a bad mood for the rest of the night. Still… "They don't know about Jo and I think…"

"You better not say that Jo has been hunting with a badass chick version of Angie or I'll kick your ass," Dean warned. "It's creepy."

Sam raised his brow at that. "And here I was thinking you'd dig tough chicks kicking ass… like a bad porno film you like to watch."

"Now that's just gross, Sammy."

Sam scoffed a bit. "You're telling me that you think of thinking Angie like that is gross when you practically flirt with her like that every chance you get?"

"I'm not the one who fantasizes about her kissing me full on the mouth. Now that is like me kissing you, which is totally gross," Dean shot back. When did the conversation get to this point? At least he got some pleasure at watching Sam's face go red with embarrassment. The last one was even better than the mouth to mouth excuse.

Sam flushed and tried to push all thoughts of fratricide aside. Dean was his brother after all but he was guilty of that. Dean had gotten subtle on the heckling and it was just… "Fine. We both have thoughts on that so drop it."

"I will when you stop talking about in your sleep Sammy and we both know that ain't gonna end soon," Dean pointed out with a grin on his face. The teasing made him feel a bit better but not that much. He noticed the lights go weird in the place and said, "Hey looks like we've got it going."

Sam pursed his lips. That discussion was far from over and it was going to take a lot more than beating up Dean to get him to stop. It would be tabled for later. Right now they had to get ready. He checked the shotgun and had it ready just in case. "Told you."

"Yeah whatever just shut up," Dean replied.

They didn't have long to wait when they saw the door open. Dean had the car started and was ready to go. However when only two jumped in he asked, "Where is she?"

Jo looked at the pair in shock. It was the girl they rescued that said, "He has her. Ares has the warrior princess."

* * *

**A/N:** Looks like a plan is in action and there may have been something unforeseen. Now it looks like Ares has his warrior princess but what about Crowley? What next? Stay tuned for more 'I Get That A Lot'...


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Angela knew that if Dean was there, he would have made some comment about her entrance being like Batman's. Not that she didn't like the superhero, she just wasn't up for the comic relief. Her thoughts were already dark because she basically said no to him and Sam coming along and taking Jo with her. The reasons she gave were flimsy and she knew they would gripe… well Sam would understand.

Sam knew that she knew Crowley though she never mentioned him by name. There was a reason for that just like there was a reason she didn't want them with her. Angela knew that they would back her up and to the end. She didn't doubt that and hell she was willing to go back to the place that caused her so much misery to save Dean. Yet she also knew that the made her vulnerable. The other side knew her habits well such as her risking her life to save one child when the whole world needed saving. Oh they knew her track record well. They knew that if they poked at something near and dear it would have instant reaction.

Jo was in that category too so it really didn't make sense to bring her along. Angela could see it in Dean's eyes when she gave him and Sam her excuse. If she were completely honest it was fear. Yeah she had been scared before but this was sheer terror. It was the thought that if something were to happen and Crowley saw right through her and even correctly hinted at her feelings for Sam… it was enough to send sheer panic. She was surprised she hadn't hyperventilated when she considered it and that was with Sam sitting right next to her.

Jo and Dean and everybody else would be good pressure points but Sam had her heart and that was something she was terrified of: someone getting hurt because of the depth of her feelings and what that person could make her feel. That was scary and Dean knew that… or did he? Jo she loved like a little sister and yes she was going to admit that. She was hooked into that one by Jo and she made plans to make an announcement in front of the boys but she didn't say when or where. It was the one thing she had on Jo.

The other reason Angela didn't want them there was because knowing Crowley, he would reveal everything she had been doing in terms of learning the finer arts of deal making. She told Sam as much as she dared but as far as Dean knew, she had done more or less an independent study in the whole thing. Sam she could see understood better the shades of grey. Dean was still in that realm of black and white and even though they were close and he would defend her like he would Sam but she was loathed to admit that there were times she wasn't exactly sure where she stood with him. She knew he would help her if she asked but…

Crowley was the kind of being to apply the pressure on the beliefs and questioning everything you knew. Angela had that disappointing and painful bombshell when she was younger, her Great Depression, and smaller recessions in later years, so she was used to. The boys weren't. She was aware that by not telling Dean everything like she told Sam, it was saying something about her trust and faith in him. It was fear that ruled that since she had been burned so many times before for revealing that side of her. She should know better since Dean had shown he could listen as necessary.

In the end she went with Jo because she didn't judge. Jo had witnessed a few things back when she was younger. She grew up in the life and learned early on that there was such a good thing as a good monster. Ellen accepted her like another daughter… much like Bobby.

The plan she conceived was about the realm of grade-A crazy. Yet she had been under more difficult circumstances and some were not stories the boys would want to here. They still wanted to break the Old Man's neck. She wouldn't have been able to do it without her chakram and Jo's ability to throw a knife.

Now standing there in the flickering room, feeling like there were strobe lights everywhere, Angela looked at Crowley and said, "Still trying to get on up on me Crowley?"

Crowley looked at Angela and gave a slight smile, "Oh you know how much I love playing with you Sweetheart. Someone seemed to think that you wouldn't come." He looked at Ciane with a slight glance even though the lights were flickering.

Angela took in the Oracle on the ground. Jo was in her place and she noticed Cary's position. This all hinged on how far Cary was willing to go in terms of undermining Crowley. She replied, "I'm sure you told her that I am like a bad penny… I always turn up."

Crowley chuckled, "That you do. So now that you're here, perhaps you are willing to do a trade?"

"For what? The tablet for her? What's the point?" Angela raised her brow as she took in the four demons that were there as muscle. That wouldn't be a problem. She had a few tricks up her sleeves and it would buy Jo the time she needed to get the Oracle and get out.

"Oh now don't be that way. You and I both know that you value life more than what is written on that lab of rock. Besides aren't you just a little curious?"

"No," Angela replied in a flat tone.

"No as in not curious or…"

"I mean no either way. No dice Crowley." Angela held her arms loosely at her side. She didn't have Absolution but she had her chakram and there was Jo's knife throwing skill. That was thing that she couldn't help be proud of… like an older sister would be.

"Now you know that's not fair love."

"It is plenty fair," Angela replied. She glanced briefly at Ciane and maneuvered slowly to a different position.

Ciane watched the warrior princess. She knew it was her even though she didn't look like the one she left behind. She was the same height and everything but there were subtle differences even she could notice like the eyes. The eyes were not blue but like amber fire and she was thinner but it was easy to see that she was athletic and well trained. Her walk though was creepy, like she had the intent to seduce but there was something predatory behind it. It was… disturbing and yet she was reassured that the warrior princess was there to help her. She watched as she came to a position between her and the demon.

"Your definition of fair runs along mine," Crowley said in reply. His men were moving into position. "Fair is simply insuring that you have an advantage in the grand scheme of things. You would do well to remember that."

"It's all in the language," Angela replied, knowing full well what Crowley meant. That was one of the reasons why she didn't go for having Sam or Dean as backup. "But sometimes giving it straight up works best. So as I said before… no dice on a trade. But I will take her." She motioned towards Ciane.

Crowley gave a scowl that looked more like he was sucking on a really sour lemon. "I don't think you remember completely the rules love. Something you want for something I want. That's how it goes. You still have a debt for a… past negotiation." He threw that last bit trying to see if she brought the moose or Dean along. That would give plenty of opportunity to be a distraction and was something that he needed.

"There is no debt," Angela clarified. "I am taking the Oracle and in exchange I will give you another day in this existence. Your choice and most who've met me know that it's the most valuable currency out there."

"And I suppose that to seal it is nothing but your word that you will do what you aim to give," Crowley replied. He was just playing now to buy some time.

"And like a few others, my word is most trusting as you can see," Angela replied. She motioned towards Cary to indicate that he was still standing and not exorcised or worse run through with a demon killing blade.

Crowley growled slightly. He was outmaneuvered there. She was one that kept her word and she knew how to argue semantics like nobody's business. He could top that with a threat of killing and maiming and that… "That still leaves me with nothing and what I want is in that Oracle's pretty little head."

"And what benefit will that bring?"

"Oh just some information. Nothing I don't already know from the first part but what the Oracle has… now I would love to see what it has to say about you." Crowley paused a moment to take in her look. "Don't look so stunned. You are part of the family. Only makes sense if it's about you. You are after all Absolution, the warrior princess who was declared of the warrior royalty."

"Are you going somewhere with this or are you just going to repeat the been there, done that routine?"

"Don't tell me you're not interested in what the missing piece says?" Crowley was incredulous with disbelief at the thought. Mostly it was because she demanded the whole story be told up front before agreeing to anything especially like their little arrangement.

Angela looked at Crowley. She was curious but for the most part, she didn't care. She actually didn't want to know how much further her life would be screwed up. It was already screwed since she was half human and in love with a human who will more likely never see her more than a sister. So in all truth… she just didn't care what it said. She cared more that there were two forces who wanted it and more likely would raise holy hell with it. She replied, "I'm not interested in what it says. I haven't even looked at," and shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't believe you."

"Believe what you want Crowley but I aim to take the Oracle and leave."

"Then I am sorry love but I can't let you take her," Crowley replied.

Angela was ready for the attack. She had seen them slunk while she and Crowley were talking and of course Jo was at her spot. She proved her worth by sticking a demon that tried to sneak up on her with the knife that Angela gave her. It stunned everyone and Angela took the moment to free Ciane, the only indication being that her eyes flickered for a moment.

"Get them."

Angela pulled Ciane to her feet and delivered a back kick to the demon's gut. In a follow through move, she brought the other leg up and over in a twist to hit him in the head. At the same time she pulled her chakram out to use as a weapon. It was a good thing since once of the demons came and started swinging a piece of piping.

Jo in the meantime swung down from her hiding spot to retrieve the knife. She ducked under a punch and with an upward thrust she stabbed the demon, killing it. She looked at Ciane and asked, "You all right?"

Ciane had been surprised to see the demon die from the knife wound in the back but was even more surprised when she saw the warrior princess' eyes. They glowed. Ciane knew there were few beings that could do that and they were often considered abominations and the like and they were hunted. She never thought to see one risk their life for her and one that was spoken of in prophecy! She looked at the girl who looked similar to the other one and said, "I'm fine."

Jo nodded. She would accept that for now. She pulled out another knife and handed it to Ciane. "Here. Use it to kill them."

Ciane had never heard of such a thing but she was willing to accept anything on faith at the moment. She blocked a demon and delivered a punch. She was glad to be able to escape. She caught sight of Cary and her eyes narrowed in hate and she charged him and swung. She caught him on his arm only to have it gripped by his hand. She tried to get free until she was yanked close like he was going to break her neck. She struggled and managed to stick him in his side. He grunted from the pain and he said, "I told you she'd come."

The next thing she knew, Ciane was flung backwards and she collided with Jo and they landed on the ground. It put them close to the exit. Jo grunted from the impact and looked up. She saw Angela blocking blows and swinging her chakram like a sword. Jo had her eyes wide open when she saw Angela take a backhand and blocked the second strike and used the guy as a shield, making him hit his own guys. "Where did you learn to do that?"

Angela heard the question as she released her demon and replied, "Years of practice." She was cut off when she was grabbed by the throat and rammed into a wall. She countered by giving a knee and a kick to the gut. "That I learned from the Winchesters."

It ended up with the demons closing in. Angela was protecting Jo and Ciane as they were being backed towards the wall. Jo realized that they were near the exit but if they ran now, they would be overrun. She looked at Ciane who was holding her knife and then at Angela who had her hands up and ready to take them all on. "Got a Plan B?"

Angela felt her lip twitch at Jo's question. She looked at the four demons closing in. Cary had scampered off and she didn't blame him. Ciane had given him a nice stab wound. More likely he would seek her out later. Right now she had Crowley who was coming up from behind as his minions were closing in. She had one option to buy escape time and she knew the result was not going to make the boys happy at all.

Putting her chakram back on her belt, Angela backed into the basic stance. It was one thing that she had learned from Satet and Onigen just reinforced it with the Dragon form. Kata was considered a means of focusing the mind to hone to a single goal. Moving her arms, she began the basic moves while at the same time churning her focus. She had a surprise that Satet had told she should only use if she found no other way but Onigen taught her a few things too and Dean had seen what she did to the flower pots.

The movements put Crowley and his men off guard. They had been expecting her to attack but she didn't. Instead she was doing something… was she dancing? Crowley had no idea what she was doing and it had him halt in his tracks. Even his men were watching. He watched as her movements sped up but still maintained the flow of focus. Her eyes were locked onto his and it started making him feel uncomfortable. Something was mesmerizing about this and he couldn't help but admire her posture but something was off. Finally discovering that she was about to do something, Crowley shouted, "Get her!"

Angela knew the moment was there. As soon as they started charging, she did a swooping motion and unleashed her telekinetic ability. It sprayed the demons aside leaving only Crowley there. He looked pissed at the fact that his men were bested by her. She shouted, "Go Jo! Get out!"

Jo obeyed and pulled Ciane with her just as some of the demons got to their feet and charged again. Jo cast a glance back to see Angela give her battle cry and leap forward into battle. She was buying them time to escape and Jo felt… She turned to pay attention to one demon that got in their way to bar their exit. She stepped forward to take on the challenge.

It was hard going and Jo thought that they would fail when she noticed a flash of electricity hit the air. She knew it had nothing to do with the lights she had knocked out earlier. She looked up from her place on the ground to find the demon over her, ready to kill her when he was blasted back by something. Jo blinked as she caught the whiff of charred flesh and looked around.

Angela was on her knees and the demons were on the ground. Crowley was looking at the newcomer who was standing in the middle of the room. Jo blinked at the guy who actually made the bad biker boy look good wearing a black leather vest, black pants and boots. On his wrists were those leather gauntlets and his hair was curly in that good looking messy way. He could give Sam a run for his money with that look.

The guy was looking at the demon with an annoyed look. It changed to affection when they lighted on Angela. Jo thought something was hinky and would have said something but Ciane groaned, "It's Ares."

Jo knew that it was a bad idea to mess with a god. They couldn't leave Angela there though but the most important thing to do was to get the Oracle out. She looked at Ciane who was clutching her side. There was no blood so it might be bruised ribs. She looked back at Angela who was still on her knees as Ares walked forward and his hands were glowing.

Making the decision, she helped Ciane to her feet and they left the building. She hated to think of what happened in there and what the Winchesters would think. She knew that they liked Angela and she wondered how Sam would take it. She wasn't a blind idiot. Pushing it aside, she helped/tugged Ciane in the direction of the Impala. She was surprised that the boys listened to Angela's instructions in the first place and figured that they wouldn't want to face Angela's wrath.

Dean asked, "Where is she?"

Jo knew who he was talking about. It was Ciane that replied, "He has her. Ares has her."

* * *

Ares was not normally patient but he was willing to wait until the tablet showed up again on the radar. Even more he was willing to wait until his warrior princess showed up. It was why he sent his best enforcer to find her and the tablet. He didn't care if the time and place difference confused them. He would be one step closer to seeing her and finding out what was on that tablet.

He had long coveted the knowledge and acceptance into the warrior nobility. It was his right in his mind since he was the god of war. That was a sound argument. Then he began having ideas of taking the princess as a bride. It was not unreasonable since she was a goddess and he was a god. She was trained as a warrior and had the ability to see into the hearts and souls of mortals. He was the god of war. He trained men and women and other beings into the Champions that have long protected the realm from the threat of the Ancients. It was a match made in heaven… if he wanted to make it work.

But it didn't turn out that way. The princess didn't accept and Hapi and Satet didn't wish to see him in that inner circle. So what if he may have started the vamp-wolf feud by planting the idea into the Ancients' minds when they created the two races. He made up for it by taking their best and training them to fight for mortals. He was the fricking god of war. Generals paid homage by planning their strategies even if they didn't openly acknowledge him. He was great buddies with the Norse gods. They were something else and he loved it.

So that way was barred but then there was the other. He had waited patiently for the moment to meet her. Well about three millennia give or take a century. He had been close to getting the tablet but then Artemis had to step in and then the two idiots got a hold of it and now they were in trouble, causing it or she found them. There was also the missing Oracle, which he presumed had been kept by Artemis. She is a maiden and has this thing about virtue and all that.

So after waiting, his enforcer informed him that he caught the scent of the warrior princess. That piqued his interest and he had begun preparations. Then he found out that the demons had the Oracle and that one of them had possessed one of his men. Ares was certain that it was a set up to where the location of the Oracle was but having heard enough on the fact that she would come to save the Oracle… it was too good an opportunity to pass up. So he waited and amused himself by torturing one of the demons that was supposed to be guarding the roof. He wasn't disappointed.

She came in with a landing that would have his sisters scramble with jealousy. She had a good tongue as he overheard the things she said to the demon who had the Oracle. Then the fight… it just made his blood boil with lust as he watched her kick, punch… he swore she would look just like his princess from another time only she was more… Ares couldn't put it into words just yet but he was enamored with her.

Playtime was over the moment the demon Crowley decided that she was to be killed. His rabble had jumped her even though she put up a good fight and were going to do what he had threatened his other princess a hundred times before. It was an idle threat on his part but he still made them and it kept her on her toes. Thing was no one could mess with her like that except him and maybe the toad that she kept. So he went to have some fun.

Looking at the demon Crowley, he gave that cocksure grin he was known for and said, "Now I know that you weren't thinking of doing what I thought you were doing."

Crowley stood up and looked at his suit. He scowled at the charred marks and looked at the newcomer. "This was one my best suits. Do you have any idea how expensive they are."

"Oh very, I'm sure," Ares replied, not really caring one way or another about that. He looked at the warrior princess who was catching her breath in a kneeling position. He quickly looked back at the demon, "But I don't really care. What I do care about is that you attempted to harm something that is really valuable and something that is mine."

"I don't think she'd say that, sweet thing," Crowley deadpanned in the most condescending manner he could think of. "Besides I saw her first so she's mine." He looked at the huddled figure and added, "Sorry about that. We can argue semantics later."

Ares was amused for his part and actually surprised at the gall this one had. Then again he wasn't like the ones that groveled at your feet. This one was used to giving orders and having them obeyed. He rather liked that since that meant he had a mind of his own but like all other things, he was lower on the pay scale. He looked at his princess as she slowly stood to her feet and noted the wary expression she had. He replied, "I think little can be said on that since she is mine."

"Fat chance of that."

"Don't tempt me," Ares countered. To make his threat clear he let a bit of his power show.

It seemed to work the trick since Crowley decided to back off. Even he knew better than to mess with a god. Sometimes you just steered clear. He remembered some major incidents that occurred that most people chalked off to natural disasters. He looked at his target and said, "Next time love. We still have some fun we need to get off our chests."

Ares grinned as he was left alone with her. He studied her as she stood. Her posture was slightly hunched but not in fear. No, she was never afraid to face a god or a demon. It's what made her the warrior princess. No she was prepared to defend herself even though she was near defeated moments ago. He gave a slight look, "Now is that anyway to treat the one who just saved you from getting skewered?"

"If I had a good reason to smile I would."

Ares chuckled. She was good and he liked it. "Rest assured. As much as I want the tablet I have something far of greater value." He walked around to study her and gave no indication that he would attack. "I have someone that I have been dying to meet since it became known. A being that is said to be the one to lift burdens… and yet is still the one that walked away from me before. How I searched for you… Xena."

* * *

**A/N:** Oh boy. Ares the god of war has entered the picture and he is after Angie. WWSD? What would Sam do? Find out next time on 'I Get That A Lot'...


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

"Wait so you just left her there?"

"It was what she told me to do no matter what." Jo realized she was on the verge of screeching but it wasn't like Dean was helping any. She knew Angela's ways just as well as he did and she was still under that thing about obeying the elder. "She said the Oracle is important."

"And does that…"

"Dean…"

"Shut up Sam."

"Hey!"

All eyes turned towards the one who shouted. Ciane looked relieved that she still could make herself known when she wanted and she could hide when she wanted. She vaguely remembered racing away from the warehouse towards a house that was rather large and there was enough junk metal that would make Hephaestus happy. The girl who pulled her out was good at making sure there were no serious injuries and she nearly had been smothered by the two idiots who actually looked better in the clothing that matched this century.

Ciane looked at the group that had been arguing over the warrior princess. The smaller male seemed really agitated while the taller one looked worried. An interesting combination at best and she could tell that they both cared about the warrior princess. Seeing that she had their attention she continued, "First off, the name is Ciane. The less you use my title the better. You should know that Hercules. Certainly Xena did." She gave a pointed look at Sam.

Sam tried not to make too much of a face at the name. He could understand the why to a certain degree but this was not of his own choosing or necessity since he had used fake IDs before and that was part of the job. It was like one teacher who kept calling him Sydney for some odd reason when he was in school. "I'm not…"

"Yeah I know you're not really him but you do look like him, just a bit scrawny and Iolaus here is a bit shorter," Ciane replied. She wasn't in the mood. "As to the second… you should know the warrior princess. She did what she had to. Even I disagree but it's in the past now. So just put up and shut up."

Dean looked at Ciane a bit stunned at her telling him to shut up about the stupid stuff his girl did. "Hey, you don't know a damn thing sister. Sam and me do and some of the stuff she's done ain't pretty."

"Well then figure out something before it gets to that," Ciane retorted. She crossed her arms and gave a hard stare at Dean. "Ares interfered with the fight and I know he has the warrior princess. It's been his obsession since I wrote my piece in this damn thing." She lifted the tablet that she had put aside once she ascertained it was unharmed. "I swear this thing was trouble the moment it passed to me."

"Because it relates to Hapi and Satet, the warrior royalty," Sam ventured.

Ciane was surprised since that part was in a language dead to even her part of the world. "Yes. How did you know that?"

"We… uh… met," Sam replied a bit uncomfortable at thought of mentioning it.

Ciane studied Sam and then looked at Dean a bit more carefully. She nodded as she said, "You were chosen weren't you? A Champion."

"Well looks like that hasn't changed much," Dean muttered. He was used to the reverence from things and people that knew about it even though it occasionally surprised him still.

"It is as it was written," Ciane muttered in her native language. No wonder Ares was obsessed with her. The table of the Malachi was all true even though it had been written like the tale of Gilgamesh. She understood now. It was never about the table of royalty even though Ares had expressed curiosity about it and did want to know. In English she said, "Nothing would considering the Tournament is as old as the world but then you know that."

"Whatever," Dean countered. "The point is Angie is in the hands of some god and I know she can take care of herself but even she has her pressure points." _Not to mention a serious one that involved the Sasquatch._

Jo finally stepped in and said, "Look, Angie had a feeling that things weren't going to go as planned. She said that if Ares were to show up, it was to get you," she pointed at Ciane, "out and go from there. I have no idea what she intends to do but…" She really couldn't give more than that and knew that it wasn't going to help much.

"Then we go in and get her and kick Ares in the ass," Dean replied. It was a stupid idea but it usually worked and that was how they rolled generally.

"Oh that's nice," Bobby said in a fit of sarcasm. "You want to plan a charge against a god who is known for fighting and with what? Nothing can kill these guys unless all their worshippers died or something."

"Killing a god is near impossible," Ciane pointed out. She mused to herself and paced. Artemis had warned her that she would not be able to call for her aid since the whole rules of interference and all that. It was a crash course when it was explained but the gist of it was that the only gift Ciane had from the goddess was the huntress.

"Well we better find a way to gank his ass before he does it to Angie," Dean pointed out.

"I don't think that is what he wants Dean," Sam pointed out. He had been thinking about it and as much as he hated to consider it… the only ones that seriously wanted Angela dead were those that wanted revenge for some past wrong. Maybe Ares wanted something different.

"And what do you think Sam? Most things we've met want to kill her," Dean pointed out as he looked at his brother.

"Well he doesn't," Jo pointed out. She had been able to think with some clarity now that they weren't running from demons. "He didn't use his mojo on her but the demons and he had this look that was like…"

"Like those asses in the bars," Sam finished in a huff. "He's interested in her."

Ciane realized what they were getting at. "Of course. It's been his biggest obsession since the royalty was created." She couldn't believe she missed this before but then again she was obsessed at the time with getting her piece down before she was found and things would go to Tartarus. She looked at the group and said, "Ares is nobility but not royalty. The warrior princess is royalty."

"Meaning?" Dean motioned a little.

Sam got it right away and replied in an annoyed huff, "He wants to be a part of that and he's going to use Angie to get it. He wants her Dean." He gave a pointed look at his brother but was more annoyed and pissed at the plot the god was trying to do.

Dean recognized the look Sam was giving. His brother only got that when someone dared to look at Angela the wrong way. Okay so that solved it and now he was going to have to work at keeping Sam from going crazy. "Okay I get it but Angie knows how to get herself out of situations like this. She's done it before."

"You said it yourself. She has pressure points and Ares is very good at that kind of persuasion," Ciane pointed out.

Jo was about to say something when she felt a tug on her jacket sleeve. She looked down to find Hibah looking up at her, clearly wanting to talk to her. She bent low and asked, "What is it?"

Hibah said something but it wasn't quite clear. The conversation between Bobby, Sam and Dean, and Ciane was getting louder in decibel. Jo knew Sam was more upset at the implications of this and even though it was funny, it was serious. She didn't get the whole thing about warrior royalty but she did get that it was something Angela had gotten into and was a part of and now the reason for her confinement. She said, "I can't hear you."

Hibah repeated what couldn't be heard earlier, "Abba needs to fight for Ima."

* * *

Angela looked around. The silks draped everywhere were a touch of Hollywood decorating styles. The settee was definitely authentic. The walls were covered with artwork that was familiar and would have been a scholar's dream to study since they were depicting the truth regarding the Amara kings of Egypt. The flames from the oil lamps added that seduction quality even though it was soothing if given the right circumstances.

Taking a look around, Angela rubbed her arms, feeling a bit out of place since she was in her usual jeans, t-shirt and jacket and she felt her Beretta still tucked in her jacket where she put it. It occurred to her that she could have used it against Crowley and given him a few painful reminders about not messing with her and now she was stuck in a thought of regret but grateful she had something while she looked around. It was no surprise that it was all an illusion so to speak. Like that bad joke of polishing a turd still made it a turd. She just had to figure out if she was still in the same state and if not how to convince Ares to go back… once she found out what he wanted.

"It's not much but I figured it would do. Decorating on the fly is… a hassle."

Angela turned to see Ares looking at her with that appreciative eye that she had grown to distrust coming from someone like him. He was looking pleased with himself as he ogled her. She replied, "Polish a turd still makes it a turd."

Ares gave a slight smirk as he walked forward to close the distance between them. She was magnificent. He replied, "In this case the turd was always beautiful and time made it better."

Angela cleared her throat slightly. So he was going that route. Nothing she hadn't handled before and she had done it solo but it just felt… off. She found that she was used to Sam's overprotective presence and it was reassurance that he was there just in case something didn't go right in their hustles. This was different from the other times and she wanted something more familiar nearby. Putting on her mask of calm, she replied, "You know time is fluid in a lot of things."

"I'm a god," Ares replied as his eyes narrowed in a seductive fashion. "You of all people should know that."

"I'm not who you think I am," Angela countered, going with the old argument she had used when correcting people about Absolution. It was weak but it was something she could work with. There was such a thing as reverse psychology and the power of suggestion but she highly doubted that would stick for long.

"You are exactly who I think… no, who I know you are," Ares replied as he took a few more steps closer. He could just reach out and touch her. It was so tantalizing. Giving in, he grabbed her by her upper arms knowing that she wasn't going to do anything. He took his time and rubbed his thumbs on her arms, feeling the muscle underneath.

"You know I get this a lot from people who think I am someone else," Angela quickly replied as she felt Ares' touch. She knew Crowley's touch and how long it took her to resist. This was way different and it was very uncomfortable. "Mistaken identity. It does happen."

Ares chuckled as he looked over Angela. He could appreciate the beauty of the strength within those limbs of hers and the scent… That was intoxicating and so different from her predecessor. He leaned in close and replied, "Oh I don't make mistakes my warrior princess. You have no idea how long I have waited to get to this moment." He took a sniff.

"Seriously, I am not Xena."

Ares leaned back and laughed. So now she decided to use the names. He was wondering how long would it be before she laid it out in the line. He took in the look on her face. She really didn't know what this was about. "Oh I know that you are not Xena. Xena died a long time ago."

"Then maybe you can explain why I have people from three thousand years ago calling me by that name," Angela retorted in a heated tone. To feel more secure, she crossed her arms across her chest and narrowed her eyes in a frown.

"Because you are Xena." Ares moved his arms in a sweeping gesture as if to state the obvious. He started pacing back and forth to throw her off. "I know you're not her even though you bear a striking resemblance to her: hair, height, chakram and not to mention a war cry. You aren't her but you are. You see she was my warrior princess but not a true princess in the meaning of the title."

"You gave her the sigils of honor," Angela clarified.

"The sigils given as a sign of honor and must be given by another of equal ranking or by divine reward," Ares replied as he paraphrased the requirements. "Xena was an exception since I was held in high regard then."

Angela gave a slight roll of her eyes at that. "I get that she would receive it from someone like you. From what my visitors told me… you had a thing."

"Magnificent she was," Ares replied, "but never on the level that would be revered by everyone who bothers to read. She was not of royalty."

"Misnomers. A pain in the ass I can assure you. I get that quite often," Angela replied, falling back on her default of trying to convince someone she wasn't who she was implied to be. "Must have been hard since there are many gods who are warriors and are of war."

"The Egyptian gods have always been held in high regard," Ares conceded. He made a slight motion with his head. Most of the time when he had a conversation like this, he would get angry and start destroying things. She didn't do that. He found that he could carry on a conversation with her and he liked it. "They have long been the symbols of royalty though there are a few outside that pantheon that have distinction."

"Obviously you're one. You're considered nobility within the warrior class thing," Angela replied trying not to belie her confusion. This was the most bizarre conversation she had to date. She could get that Ares wasn't out to hurt her but he did have something in mind and she was wary about what that was.

"Nobility but not royalty." Ares frowned a bit and turned away. He could feel his temper rise a little. "I am the god of war."

"Maybe there is something more to that."

"Don't patronize me. You are of the royalty," Ares replied. He calmed a bit as he looked at her. "Besides that is beneath you. Adopted and trained by Hapi and Satet and raised with the fair Wosret… so much given and to someone who thinks they are unworthy."

Angela watched the god brood. How was it that she always got stuck with the moody ones? That was rhetorical since she lived with two of them now and it seemed that people were under the impression that she'd make a good listener. "Um… they took me in out of pity."

"Denial. Another characteristic."

"It was pity," Angela insisted. It really was an old habit to default to that. It was out of a need to protect what she had been given from them. Most would have asked what was the point since most people who did research knew about it.

"No it wasn't," Ares replied. He turned to look at Angela full on in the face. "You really are like her. The spirit of the warrior buried deep. It is unique and it separates those like that idiot Joxer from those like you."

"I wouldn't diss someone like Joxer. There is more than meets the eye." A pointless comment but it helped since Ares started coming closer and Angela didn't want to let on that she was uncomfortable with his breath touching her when he leaned in close. She got that enough from Crowley and a few others that she really wanted to punch. "Besides, it was only in name that they gave me that title."

Ares paused a moment. He then leaned in closer, relishing the fact that he could sense her unease. "Not in name, princess. A right given as the table of royalty aptly puts it." He reached up and touched her face and trailed his hand down her arm to her hand and lifted it. He grinned as he saw the mark and held it up for her to see. "As proven by the cartouche of the family. You know most don't understand how someone so unlikely is chosen for something important as this."

Angela would have yanked her hand away but she didn't. Ares' touch was… she couldn't describe it. It was not like Sam's and that man had a fascination with her hands which some would put as downright creepy and she knew Dean teased him horribly about. Instead she resigned to let Ares touch her hand and rub his fingers on it. She could see the tattoo clearly. That was only a means of protecting Hibah since Isis was anxious to keep her safe and damn to hell what others thought. That was it; nothing more and nothing less. "Given because I am a favorite. Nothing more and nothing less."

Ares was looking at the cartouche. His nose was close enough to touch and his breath was making her flush a little. He knew her well. "A favorite of the patron goddess of the undead and considered a daughter by the warrior royalty. By Zeus you are beautiful."

"I've had that delivered before and that didn't end well," Angela replied remembering fully that Sam did break a guy's wrist. They had been lucky the cops hadn't been called on them and it took her forever to calm him down. She still didn't tug her hand away and it bothered her more than she was willing to admit to at the moment. Maybe she could steer the conversation back to more familiar ground that wasn't so uncomfortable. "Now you said I am like Xena but not her. What did you mean?"

Ares was still looking at her hand. He ran his fingers along her skin and pushed up the cuff of her jacket. It was then that he noticed it. That was an interesting touch. "Oh that you have the same spirit. The old ones call it the warrior spirit; more or less an attribute that is bred in the blood. The fight, the love of battle. Raw spirit that is tamed by other attributes."

"So you're saying…"

"You are a warrior heart and soul, princess; a true princess of royalty as claimed by your mark and being trained in the arts by the royals. It's all in the table." Ares ran his fingers on the underside of Angela's wrist and felt the pulse of the vein. He then gently tapped the bracelet that rested next to the gauntlet that held her sigils. "Seems that even other things see what you do not. I wonder what Artemis would say."

Angela looked at the bracelet. She replied in a calm voice, "I wonder that myself since I know my lines. If you happen to see her, tell her I have that question I'd like answered."

Ares looked up. He could see that he had ruffled her feathers enough. Still he could have some fun with her. Otherwise it wouldn't be worth all the waiting and the unusual amount of patience. "I can do that if we were on speaking terms." He turned to walk towards the bed that had been there and picked up something and held it out towards Angela. "I am sure that you would feel better wearing this than that. You would be less out of place."

Angela took in what Ares was holding up. It was nothing like from where the Oracle and the others were from. It was more modern but even she wasn't blind and could see that it was designed to blend in better. She could do worse and would have had a dress she supposed. "I think you are indulging in an idle fantasy."

"I would very much like to see you in it. It's been nearly, what a year since you last wore it?"

The tone was mocking but the words held truth. Angela hadn't worn that particular outfit since the days of the tournament. The only exception was her gauntlets. They looked good with her hunter gear and so she kept them. Most people commented on them and the custom made design and she would give a knowing smile. This though… She narrowed her eyes and retorted, "I bet you would."

"Oh yes." Ares thrust it at her and made sure she had it in her hands.

Angela saw little choice in the matter at hand. She would just have to play along with it. She took the clothes and found the screen she could change behind. At least she would have some dignity. She did manage to spit out, "Promiscuous pervert."

Ares chuckled as he turned around. She had good position and he could make out the tattoo on the small of her back and the one on the back of her shoulder in the mirror he peeked in. It was over the moment she pulled the top on so he said, "Believe me this is for the best. There are things in place in which you will need allies and powerful ones."

"I have friends. I don't need any more like you."

"Oh but you will," Ares replied. He had poured some wine into two goblets. After all the demons had their way of making deals and he had his. Of course it would take a lot to convince her of what he had in mind. He picked both up and turned to face her as she came out. "I know you can only see as far beyond your little corner of the world. The bigger picture is trivial to you."

Angela stood in her warrior's outfit. There were some modifications in that the top was made into a tube top and it bared her shoulders to the world. The pants were made to show off her figure and embraced that old stitching style but the boots were the same. It was completed with her gauntlets and her chakram was at her side but she felt naked without Absolution on her back. She replied, "I am well aware of the bigger picture Ares. It's been my curse since the day I said yes to the whole thing. It's brought me nothing but trouble."

Ares took in her figure. Sure he had made some modifications but what better way than to show off her physique and what she was? Her hair was up but the loose tresses made her look like a warrior that wasn't afraid of battle. He mocked her, "Oh most assuredly it is trouble. That's the reason why I want to discuss business with you."

"No offense but I've had propositions before and I pretty much said no," Angela replied. She held her old clothes and put them on a side table.

"And probably they had no reward for you but then again you never ask for one. It's what I like about you and most assuredly why Hapi and Satet chose you and not someone like an Amazon to be their earthbound princess." Ares held out a goblet and was pleased that she took it. That didn't mean she was going to drink it. "Besides, I know you. You have this desire to do good but there is a problem with that. Most of those you save resent you and don't thank you. You have no proper respect."

"I didn't join to be thanked."

"True but that could change. As my warrior queen, you will have not only the Guard of the family at your disposal but my armies as well. You will be revered as beautiful and feared for your sense of justice."

Angela listened. She had no intention of going that route. "No dice."

"Wait a minute there." Ares then waved his hand and showed an image of Dean moving like he was looking for the thing he was hunting. It moved to Bobby, then Ellen and Jo. Lastly it stopped at Sam. "I know that you consider these your friends. It would be a shame that something so natural should be the end of them."

Angela heard the threat behind it. She didn't expect anything less from Ares. She looked at the image of Sam. She felt her eye twitch as she turned to look at Ares. "You are low."

"God of war my princess. You see they will live and you get to do what you want and I will have what I want which is access to the royalty since a certain princess decided to be a bad girl. I know about that by the way." Ares looked at Angela and got in close so that their noses almost touched. "If you don't want harm to come to him…" He leaned in and pressed his lips onto hers and deepened it.

* * *

**A/N:** Well the Winchesters need a plan and Hibah suggests it. Interesting... Looks like Ares is attempting seduction and is not above resorting to an 'even' trade. Will Sam agree to fight for Angie? Or will they come up with a different plan? Stay tuned for next time on 'I Get That A Lot'...


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Sam never thought he would be seeing this shirt again. To him it was a one-time deal but he took care of it because she made it. Now he had to wear it again because it had to be proper and formal. He sighed trying to think of why Hibah said that he had to do this. Come to think of it he tried to think of how she eavesdropped in on their conversation in the first place.

_Hey you ready in there Samantha?_

Sam scowled at the door. "Shut up Dean." He finished making sure that everything was where it was supposed to be. It was a simple shirt but he remembered how Angela checked to make sure everything was in its proper place. That was how she rolled and what she did to hide her anxiousness. He opened the door to the bathroom feeling like he was overdressed.

"Hey still fits," Dean commented.

"She made it," Sam pointed out as if that were a good reason.

"I know that. Just commenting how good she is at it." Dean paused a moment. He knew that this was hard and probably déjà vu for Sam. Yet it was decided that it was better since his brother had earned the right to be named Champion and he had those squiggles that were on the cuffs. "Look Sam, I know that going up against a god is…"

"Don't," Sam replied. He really didn't want to think about the fact that Hibah was the one that pretty much declared this suicide mission. As far as he knew gods were like the other stuff but much more powerful. What also irked him was that for every second they were wasting here, Ares was trying to have his way with her and it pissed him off.

"Hey Sam," Dean countered in a serious tone. He turned his brother towards him. "I know. Okay? We both hate the idea whatever that douchebag may be doing but you gotta focus. He's a god and you're you with some EPS thing…"

"I'm done with that."

"I know that," Dean continued a little frustrated. "The point is that he may agree but the rules are in his favor. Use that brain of yours College Boy. I know we can't help ya and I don't know about Angie and she usually can see a loophole."

"I got it Dean," Sam replied. He really did and he knew that he couldn't be angry with his brother. It was just the circumstances. He motioned with his hands. "Well I guess we better get to it."

Dean nodded and followed Sam down the stairs. "At least you might get a kiss out of it."

"Bite me, jerk."

"Bitch."

They made it down to the main study where Bobby was waiting with Jo and Ciane. Sam tried not to flush under the speculative look that Ciane shot his way. It was the shirt that said it all and he wasn't going to use that card though Dean might. Dean was the one that said, "Okay so we have our Champion and now we need to summon the guy…"

"Why not just go over and knock," Bobby retorted to show his disapproval of summoning. "Or better yet just find out where she is."

"And how do we do that?" Dean retorted.

"Casteel can," Hibah replied as she walked in tugging the angel by the hand. She beamed at everyone. "Casteel find Ima. Abba go and fight for Ima. Amitz and Jo there to help." She pointed it out in straight childlike logic that it made the adults feel a little stupid.

Castiel took in the group, well aware that it was a distinct possibility that Hibah was manipulative but in a childlike way that was what was considered cute. He had to admit to that and he was well aware that she had picked up that level of coaxing from Angela. There was no other logical explanation since her ways were similar. He took in Sam's appearance and realized that they were serious about a fight to rescue Angela. The reasoning was beyond him.

Ciane looked at Castiel and her eyes widened slightly once she recognized him for what he was. She asked, "He can find the warrior princess?"

Hibah looked at the woman that had come back without her Ima. She moved her head much like a curious puppy would. She had already formed her opinion about the two others and she had been playing with them when Castiel dropped in. Well she called him but not like how Ima would. The intent was to play with him until she heard the noise and found out that Ima hadn't come back. She had been the one to tell Jo that Abba should fight for Ima.

Looking at the woman, Hibah finally said, "Casteel knows Ima."

Sam studied Hibah as she took in everything. He had known from the beginning that she wasn't a normal kid but some of the things she said were along the lines of downright creepy and something that Angela would pull. He did know that what Hibah said made sense since Castiel always seemed to know where Angela was without her having to pray for him. He noticed that Ciane was a little confused and clarified, "He can find Angie. It's… complicated."

Ciane noted the way how Sam replied. In fact she had been noticing his behavior all evening. Every time it was implied at what Ares wanted with the warrior princess, his jaw would twitch, like he was trying to keep some sort of reign on his temper. It didn't take much for her to figure out that those were signs of caring that went beyond the relationship he had professed and he was too dumb or too blind to know that. She was willing to go with the latter since she could tell both boys were intelligent. "So…"

"There is nothing complicated about the guardian-charge relationship," Castiel replied. He looked down at Hibah who was looking up at him and still holding onto his hand. She gave his hand a slight shake to indicate that he was to continue. "I know where she is."

"And we get that Cas," Dean replied feeling a little uncomfortable with that fact. He didn't want the angel to reveal anything that would set Sam off since he actually saw something that he shouldn't and it was the kind of thing to have Sam drop everything and rush over in the heat of the moment and that would lead to an argument between the concerned parties and… Well he had never seen it escalate beyond heated words since Angela could deliver a hard punch with words. "Has to do with how you were assigned to her."

"The connection is through her mark," Castiel replied.

"Like a telephone Amitz," Hibah piped up. "Casteel can dial in when he wants and so can Ima."

Dean frowned a bit at that. It worked both ways? He could tell that it piqued Bobby's and Sam's interest and that was something that would have to be explored at a later time. He really didn't want to show his sentimental side but he had adopted a certain way of talking to Hibah and tried not to swear in front of her though she had picked up a few words that would make him proud. Of course he told her not to say it in front of Angela or Sam. He cleared his throat and replied, "So Angie can call without having to send a prayer?"

"Yes but mostly it is when there is extreme distress," Castiel answered. "It has to be learned and most often it is not."

"But you can do this?"

"Yes." Castiel looked down to see Hibah beaming at him. She had called him initially to play and was on the verge of telling her that he had work to do but she started playing with him and the two she had granted the gift of tongues. Then she said that he needed to find her Ima. Having the ability to know different languages, he knew exactly who she was talking about.

"Well that's great," Bobby cut in. When everyone looked at him, he continued, "It's good in finding her but what are ya gonna do to get her back?"

"Like Hibah said," Dean replied, "Sam fights for her."

"Brilliant plan Churchill," Bobby deadpanned. "And how are ya gonna propose it so that it is somewhat played fair? You are dealing with the god of war." He had his arms crossed. It wasn't that he didn't doubt Sam could do it. Hell he actually believed Hibah's child's faith that he could. He did find it amusing that she called Sam her father and Angela her mother.

While everyone else was out to get the oracle, who looked more bewildered by their interaction, he stayed behind with the tablet, the two visitors and Hibah. He watched as she played with them in some game that she invented. It was comical since she always seemed to make them trip up and it did distract him from worry and his curiosity about what the last part of the tablet said about his girl. He also had a bonding sort of moment with her and could see how Sam and Dean fell hook, line and sinker for her.

"Declare the rules beforehand?" Dean replied more like a question. It belied that he really wasn't sure how it was going to play out. "Or declare it is some ancient law thing."

"You mean the rules of combat?" Sam clarified what Dean was saying. He looked over at his brother made a slight huffing sound. "That applies to here on earth. Unless there is something stating that beings like angels and gods are bound by it, I highly doubt that it's going to work."

"It could," Ciane pointed out. She saw that Dean was going somewhere and seeing as he and his brother were aware of tournament rules… "It could," she repeated. She then muttered something in her language.

"Hey, speak English," Dean replied waving his hand.

"Oh, she means the laws of the gods," Salmoneus replied coming in, looking for Hibah. He had been given orders that he and Joxer were to look after her and more than once she had given them the slip. She even brought that stiff fellow in the robe. Finding her he said, "Found you. You know better than to…"

"Laws of the gods?"

Jo remembered something, "Oh Angie mentioned this. Long time ago. It was weird because the thing she was hunting was typical salt and burn but it seemed important at the time."

"Okay, so what is it?"

"Something about a challenge that the gods must obey if accepted or face consequences," Jo replied in a frown. "Strictly followed and judged accordingly."

Dean raised his brow and looked at Sam, "Sounds like that again."

Sam was inclined to agree with that assessment though he was sure that there was more to it. There usually was and given that they didn't have Angela to go into details… that didn't bode well. Castiel on the other hand seemed to know what the conversation was about and said, "It refers to the natural order; the set of laws that keep this world functioning in balance."

"Okay so it's a bit different but still the same right?"

"It's more than that Dean," Bobby replied. "The natural order basically governs how all things are run. The exceptions made have to be considered carefully particularly when it involves the gods" At the look he was getting, he replied, "I read."

Dean could follow that. How could he forget the fact that Angela appealed to this council to rescind his deal? At first when it had been rejected, he thought they were dicks. Now hearing this, it made him appreciate the more why she was careful when it came to that. As far as he could see however, that was their best option. "Well it looks like our best option now. Sorry Sam, but looks like…"

"I get it Dean," Sam replied sighing. Well now he had more reasoning besides Hibah's declaration. Looking at Castiel he asked, "So Cas, can you get a read on where Angie might be? Is she at least here in the state?"

Castiel had been reaching out since the moment the whole law of the gods was mentioned. It seemed their best option but the price would be extremely high if Sam did go through with it and lost. The unexpected cost would be something that he was certain that no one in this room wanted to see and he certainly didn't want to feel it again.

Before it was a bit clouded but now it was clear. Concentrating… Castiel looked at the Winchesters and said, "She's here."

The moment he said that, they, with the exception of Salmoneus and Hibah since they were in another room nearby, were flung into the walls and any furniture nearby. Sam found himself on the ground after breaking a table. He looked around to see his brother pinned on the wall and everyone else was pinned where they landed.

"So you're the one that was declared a Champion. I expected as much from you little brother then again you always did fight for what's right Hercules."

* * *

It was rather clichéd but it always did produce a dramatic effect with lightning flashing in the sky and the rain starting to pour. It was a good way to show off the skill and a storm seemed to best describe that battle mettle. Ares grinned to himself as he looked at Sam, oh he knew he wasn't really Hercules as he explained to Angela, and noted how this junkyard made the perfect battle scene. His gaze shifted to Angela, who was looking miserable and shook his head slightly.

Sam looked up at the god from his spot. He recognized it as the area that was Angela's training zone and was well aware that there were probably traps around that could kill. At least it was not near the obstacle course. Looking around, he spotted his brother looking very pissed pinned to the seat he had been placed in. Next to him was Jo, Bobby and Ciane. He was grateful that Hibah wasn't around and it seemed that Ares wasn't interested in that at all. Castiel was held in a ring of holy fire and he looked… upset.

Looking up at the god, Sam asked, "What do you want?" He felt his throat convulse since lore said that Ares was known for a short temper and he could do things that were best left to the imagination in a horror slash film.

"Just to strike at my enemy before he gets me… Hercules."

Sam made a slight face at the name. He really didn't understand it and would rather have the god call him Sammy even though that was a privilege only Dean and Angela got. "What do you want with Angie?"

Ares studied Sam as he got down to the main ground. His enforcer was holding the warrior princess and his men were keeping an eye on the others. Nothing was going to go wrong. He replied, "I want my warrior princess. And she will become my warrior queen."

"For what? So you could gain access to the royalty?" Sam didn't grasp the full implications but he was taking a guess. "Was that the reason for going after the tablet? Send them forward…"

"I admit that was part of it. The warrior princess of that time while my princess was not of the royalty and yes I do want to be part of that circle and completely acceptable," Ares replied a he eyed Sam. His steps took him closer towards Angela. "I am nobility and therefore eligible."

"I take it Wosret said no," Sam replied.

"A setback but then I remembered. She will have an earthly sister and that, little brother, is more appealing… if you can see the larger picture."

"Why? Because she can lead armies and has the ear of the other gods?" Sam was grasping at straws but he did read and knew what has been done historically.

"Lead armies, abilities not seen since the days of Siglione… a powerful connection to the realm you can't see unless you have her eyes. Not to mention the ability to use combat styles that have long disappeared. Who wouldn't want that?" Ares gave a slight smile as he walked over to where Angela was and giving a slight smirk at Sam, he turned towards her and ran his finger on her cheek. "And now I have her and she will be mine."

"You won't…" Sam was cut off as he was sent flying back to land hard on the ground. The wind was knocked out of him but he wasn't down for the count.

"You presume much if you think you can tell me what to do," Ares replied as he lowered his hand. He turned towards Sam and looked as he struggled to get to his feet. "You are lucky that I didn't decide to kill you with that. That wouldn't have been sporting and not exactly what was agreed upon between me and princess here."

"What?" Sam gasped as he stood up. He rubbed his chest to get the air back in his lungs.

Ares raised his brow in a mocking gesture. "Oh just the agreement that we made. She is a very good bargainer."

"Sonofabitch Angie. What the hell did you do?" Dean shouted as soon as he heard everything.

Ares looked at Dean and tipped him over. Dean couldn't move anyway and it was like when he had been tied up by Gordy and nearly fallen over. Ares replied, "When I ask for your opinion, I will address you Flea."

"Bite me asshole. You manipulated her didn't you?"

Sam saw that Ares was going to do something and said, "Dean, shut up." His tone suggested something to his brother and was relieved that Dean obeyed the request. Sam put his focus on Ares and glanced at Angela. It was the first time he looked at her since Ares barged in.

She was dressed like how she was for the tournament except the top was different and she didn't have her sword. She looked miserable and her throat was convulsing like she wanted to say something but couldn't. The enforcer was holding her tight and that was when Sam noticed it. He noticed the collar around her neck but what got his attention was the blistering red. He knew what that was and could only guess what she had to go through. Looking at the god he demanded, "What did you do to her?"

"Nothing, except insure that she wouldn't try something until we get this ship sailing," Ares replied in a nonchalant voice. He saw the expression on Sam's face and could guess a few things and was highly amused. "Also I couldn't have her back out of our agreement."

Sam looked at the sorrowful look on Angela's face and asked, "What did you… agree to Angie?"

Angela didn't say anything at first. She truly hated where this had gone but there was no going back now. Her reluctance only made Ares grin and he replied for her, "Something akin to the fact that I would proposition you in exchange for not hurting the others. The second part is only if you agree."

Sam looked and saw the slight nod from Angela. He hoped that Dean heard it since this was not as bad as it was made to seem but even Sam knew that the second part was what had everyone in knots. That could be even worse. "What is your… proposition?"

"A fight for the warrior princess. You have to fight for her. Plain and simple."

"No it isn't…"

Sam started the moment the enforcer punched Angela in the face. He was stopped by Ares who gave an annoyed glance before giving a stern one at his enforcer. The enforcer backed down with a glare at Angela and Sam while Ares turned back to Sam. "Well there is the matter of rules. I propose the law of the gods as our rules so life for a life. You can fight yourself or have a Champion."

"Same applies to you?" Sam asked still pissed that Angela took a hit to the head.

"Damn it Sam. Don't!"

Sam ignored Dean and looked at the god. "Does it?"

Ares took in the determined look and gave a smile, "Why not. Of course you do realize how hard it is to kill a god?"

"I'm willing to try," Sam replied.

Ares grinned. He knew Sam would accept. If things went as they should, he would have what he wanted. He looked over at the people watching the whole thing as the lightning flashed overhead. Sam's brother was struggling and looking pissed at the whole thing. The others were in a state of shock that Sam was even considering this… well except the angel. He looked upset but it was so hard to tell when they didn't do anything beyond talk with their chosen mouthpiece. Looking back at Sam, he nodded in agreement, "Then do you accept a challenge under the rules of the laws of the gods?"

"Yes."

"Will you choose a Champion?" Ares made a sweeping gesture that indicated mock courtesy. It was the least he could do and besides it was proper etiquette. He did have a thing about that especially when it came to battle.

"I'll do it myself. Why are you asking?" Sam narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

Ares couldn't help but make a mocking gesture. This was too much fun and he couldn't believe that everything she said was true. "It has to be done a certain way. I would think you of all people would know that. You are the Champion after all."

Sam felt his temper flare. He may have walked into this without his usual common sense but it irked him that Angela had been bullied into this. He figured that Ares must have pushed a pressure point that messed with her usual good sense. It had to be extremely sensitive and more likely one of those topics that she declared should stay buried. That usually was the case with a lot of things that she had to think about when she brought them up. It did occur to him that she had done it in an effort to keep them all from coming to harm since she had an idea of what Ares was capable of. He couldn't fault her for that since it was her nature but it was frustrating when she told him not to do the same for her. Taking a breath he repeated, "I'll do it."

"I pick a Champion." Ares smirked as he said it, knowing that he was going to have fun with this, especially with Sam's reaction. It was all part of the agreement and he knew that it was going to kill her if it all went down like it was supposed to. He suppressed the chuckle as he watched Sam's reaction to the whole thing and could guess what he was thinking.

Sam expected that. He figured that Ares valued his skin too much to actually consider fighting a fight that he would most likely win. He glanced at the enforcer and prepared to take the guy down. That guy was flesh and blood and could bleed and that was if they were allowed weapons and most likely it wouldn't matter since it was a fight to the death. It completely surprised him and was as effective as a punch to the gut when Ares said, "And my Champion shall be… the warrior princess."

* * *

**A/N:** Whoa there's a twist here after Sammy gets goaded into fighting Ares. Will he really step up to the challenge? Find out next time on 'I Get That A Lot'...


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

If Sam knew five minutes ago what he knew now, he would have thought of a better way to end this and spare everyone this painful moment. He never conceived of the possibility that Ares would call her to be his Champion and now she was stuck as well as he. He could practically hear Dean cursing him out even though his brother wasn't saying a word. A brief glance told him that they gagged him since he started making a ruckus after the announcement.

Sam looked at Angela who had been shoved into the ring rather roughly and a pair of a very familiar weapon was tossed in after her. He looked at Ares, "Weapons?"

"If you have one, go ahead," Ares mocked. "Oh the main rules are this and it goes to the arrangement: she wins, meaning I win, you can die or live in disgrace and that depends on how well you do, and everyone else can go and your little secret is safe."

_At least it's a choice of living or dying_, Sam mused. He could tell that didn't sit well with Angela at all. "And if I win?"

"If you can win, she dies, and everyone here goes free and no one knows anything about your dirty little secret."

That choice wasn't much better. Sam didn't relish the thought of actually killing Angela. He couldn't conceive of it. He didn't like it at all and he didn't have to look at everyone else to know that they didn't like that choice either. They didn't like it that it was in her power to kill him or let him live but it seemed that everyone else was spared. What was the deal with it? He couldn't think of it since he was faced with the two options and neither was completely acceptable. "That's not much of a deal," he said.

"You agreed to the laws of the gods."

"Life for a life Sam," Angela whispered loud enough for him to hear. She caught his eye and made a slight movement of her head that didn't mean anything outside of their little circle. She knew he would understand.

Sam did understand and it was what he agreed to. Yet he had this hope that she would have something up her sleeves. She usually did but judging from the way she was holding herself at the moment, he doubted for a moment that she did. It was a defeated look but there was something else… Sighing he looked at Ares and asked, "Weapons?"

"If you want."

Sam didn't have a single weapon except his hands and feet. He noticed that Angela had picked up her weapons and figured he was going to get some serious bruises and maybe a few cuts. Anything more serious, he would have to anticipate.

"Um… Sam?"

Sam turned to see Salmoneus carrying Absolution. He frowned as he watched Salmoneus stop along the edge. He looked around and asked, "Where's…?"

"Fine." Salmoneus tried not to panic since Ares was there. It had been first reaction to take the girl Hibah and run to hide. Of course that hadn't been too easy since she insisted on finding her Ima and Abba and said something about Abba needing help to fight for Ima. He never would have guessed that it was a sword that was unlike the swords he had seen in his life but he had it and was now trying to give to Sam. "Here. This should help," he added and tossed it at Sam.

Sam caught Absolution easily. He looked at Salmoneus who gave a gesture that could have meant good luck and scampered away. Sam turned to see that Ares had watched the whole thing and was amused by it. Sam wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing as he looked at Angela and saw that she had her sais in her hands and looking resigned.

Ares called out, "Everything to your liking?"

"No," Sam retorted.

"Alright then. You know what to do."

Sam sighed and looked at Angela. Her expression was unreadable until she slid into a stance per protocol. Reluctantly he got into the basic one himself. When Ares gave the get set signal, Sam visibly saw Angela's muscles tense as she turned her back like one would do in a duel and he followed suit. His heart began to beat faster in anticipation.

At the sound to go, Sam turned around and barely blocked the first strike that Angela came at him with. He knew that she didn't pull punches in training especially when she trained him for the tournament. This though was different. He sensed it and it was confirmed when he looked at her and saw that it wasn't serious sparring. It was to the death.

The sound of metal could be heard in the air as Sam deflected the quick strikes Angela delivered with her sais. He saw the look in her eye and had only seen that look directed at other people but never towards him or Dean. Any bonehead shrink would have said that the desire to live often superseded the usual behaviors especially when it was life or death. Sam had an inkling that they were right in this case. It was painful to him when she stepped in with a thrust and he sidestepped to bring her in close and his reaction was to give her a backhand that was hard enough to spin her around.

Dean watched from the sidelines and currently pissed that he was stuck in a chair with a gag and no ropes were holding him in place. It was god mojo at work and it pissed him off. He was pissed that she made a deal of some sort and while not totally bad… He was more pissed she had been badgered and more likely to a breaking point and he could take a wild guess at what it was. He was pissed that she was being made to fight to the death against Sam and one of them had to die. He knew Sam wouldn't do it and Angela… He had seen the look in her eye when she attacked. She was determined to win this and that meant either killing Sam or making him fodder for Ares.

He watched the blades collide and noted the near look of shock on Sam's face when he backhanded her and hard. He knew that had to be killing his brother since he did it on purpose essentially. He looked over at Ares who was watching with an almost bored expression on his face but it would occasionally smile when the strikes hit. A sound caught his attention and Dean turned to see Sam put a hand to his cheek. When he pulled it away, Dean saw a thin streak of red. It was on since Sam attacked.

Dean had to admit though that his brother was good at holding his own. The tournament showed that but Sam had never really been put into a position where he was fighting against someone who loved him to the point of wanting to commit ritual suicide if she thought that it would save him. Looking at Angela though, he could tell that she wasn't going to go easy and she proved that by cutting Sam but Dean could see that hurt her a lot.

Suddenly Sam knocked Angela hard onto her back. Dean could tell it was a hard blow and meant to hurt but it hurt Sam equally to inflict it. Dean could tell that it was sign to escalate. He had watched enough of their sparring sessions to know that when one pushed, the other pushed back. It would continue until one surrendered and in this case, it looked like the surrender would end in death; a rather icky feeling thought.

"Aren't you going to get up? Or are you afraid of scarring that pretty face?"

Dean looked to see Ares smirking at Angela who was looking up are Sam. Sam looked like he wanted to burst into tears and it wasn't the kind to tease about. It was like when he became a hellhound chew toy. This was getting out of hand and he was powerless to stop it. He watched as Angela narrowed her eyes and did a forward flip with a growl that meant business. The moves she did with her ninja weapon things had him boggled. _Angie don't do this._

Angela looked at Sam through narrowed eyes as he pulled back to be ready for her strikes. She heard Ares laughing. With a roar, she pushed forward with even faster strikes. She saw Sam step up to the plate with the aggression in his counterattack. She gave hard strike with the butt end of her sais to his chest and then his head and had him stagger but he countered and knocked one of her sais away. She continued with the one until he knocked that one away and in the process sliced the top of her forearm with Absolution.

Sam didn't want to hurt her; he never did even when they were sparring. It always took her upping the ante to get him to actually put to use what she taught him if it was one on one with her. It was like hurting Dean in the worst possible way but it felt even worse and it struck home when he sliced her arm with her sword. He knew it burned since Absolution was capable of killing anything supernatural and he could just imagine how it felt on her arm.

He begged her to stop with his eyes when she turned after flipping away to regroup. She must have seen it but it wasn't indicated when she attacked bare handed. A well placed kick stung his hand and had him release Absolution and he saw it clang on the ground.

"Surely you can do better than that. You are the Champion after all."

Sam heard Ares' goading and looked at Angela. She was poised to spring. He was ready for the strike but he was unfamiliar with the form and felt her nails on his limbs and chest when they made it in. He managed to block and counter. It was like a little dance between them until he tried to end it. He lunged forward and managed to pin her.

"Do it Sam," Ares goaded.

Sam looked down at his hands which were around her neck. He could choke her to death. What stopped him was the resigned look… no the acceptance that she was defeated. She was willing to die and it irked him. "I can't," he whispered knowing that she would hear him. "I can't. Please don't make me do this."

Angela looked up at him. "I'm sorry, Sam," she whispered, making it very clear that she was sorry in her eyes.

Then she brought her legs up and used them to help her pull Sam off. In the same movement she delivered a hard enough strike to knock him back. She watched him fall back onto the ground and lay there breathing heavily. She was on her feet and looking down.

"Finish him."

Angela gritted her teeth. "No." She turned to face Ares and repeated, "No. I have defeated him. You have won."

"You're willing to spare his life?"

Angela looked at the god. She had known that it would come to this the moment he tricked Sam into agreeing into the natural order rules. She actually figured Sam would agree out of the blind emotions to get her back and Dean would do the same in a heartbeat if Ares had decided to pick on him. Yet Ares picked Sam and she knew why. The god was not blind or stupid and could read between the lines. She hated that she was in this position in the first place and from the looks of things it was going to be a Q&A yelling session.

Sam's grunts on the ground caught her attention. She took in the bruises starting to form and the slice to the cheek. Her jaw twitched at the sight and she forced herself to look back at Ares. She calmed the heaving she felt and replied, "Yes only because honor demands it so."

Ares stood up from his leaning position and walked forward. "Honor? It's considered a disgrace to be defeated in a battle to the death. Are you willing to let someone live in shame rather than die honorably?"

Sam propped himself up to listen to the strange conversation between Angela and Ares. It was almost like he was questioning her into choosing a lesser of two evils or something. Obviously it was a big thing to die in a fight and while that was a risk he accepted in terms of hunting, he'd rather have it on his own terms. The other option was living in disgrace. Sam thought the god was playing and degrading her nature of sparing her enemies but he could see why since that was what she asked for at the tournament. Yet he was not an enemy… Sam knew she didn't see him in that light which was why it was so hard for her and why Ares was having fun tormenting her. It pissed him off.

Angela took in the question. She knew full well what the god of war was getting at. Sarcastically she thought that was just perfect in the grand scheme of things since she knew how that went. She was still pissed that Ares thought to have some fun by making her fight to the death with Sam. Looking at the god, she replied, "There is no disgrace in being allowed to live another day."

"It is if one is shown to be weaker than the other. Better to insure the strongest are out there."

Angela narrowed her eyes slightly. "It is not if the one defeated is found to have honor. There is such a thing as finding one worthy of respect and honor."

"More like a quick and easy way out," Ares countered. He was enjoying this immensely and wanted to see how far this would go. "Usually is a convenient way to avoid what must be done."

"And it is obvious we don't agree on that."

"Agree to disagree, my queen," Ares leered at Angela with a slight smirk. "Remember I've been at this longer than you have. You are like my princess long ago; eager to make amends but denying what truly burns in that heart of yours. Desire is often a tricky thing."

Angela felt her jaw twitch. "Almost everything worth of age is older, Ares. There is always going to be someone who will know more but sometimes age and experience don't always go so well together."

"Still trying to convince yourself that by sparing him you are doing a favor?" Ares pointed at Sam who was looking at the pair of them on the ground. "All you're doing is providing a sheet for them to hide behind. Do that…" He made a slight motion.

Angela took in the words carefully. She knew what Ares meant and even she cursed herself for that. The most recent had been her heated words with Uriel in Sam's presence. She had made it clear that time but she also recalled what she had told Sam; that she gave the appearance that he could hide behind her. He denied that but she knew that there was truth to that. When something big came their way, she was the first to step in and be a shield.

"It's how heroes become tragic, my warrior queen," Ares said, breaking into her thoughts. "Little brother Hercules always there to be a Champion to the mortals but there comes a time when the hero can't be there and what happens then?" He leaned forward as if to prompt Angela to come up with the answer.

"The hero takes a fall and they are dragged through the mud," Angela replied to herself. She was very familiar with that. It was as she had told Sam, there are the hard choices and not everyone is going to be happy with them. She had her fair share of people and possibly their descendants who most likely have a hatred for her. Out loud she replied, "We're only flesh and blood."

"He may be," Ares replied pointed at Sam, "and you may suffer the same feelings a mortal does but you… you're different; set apart for something greater. Do what I say and kill him and you will see the glory of war and battle as you were meant to. You are my Champion after all."

Angela pursed her lips. She narrowed her eyes and replied, "No Ares. I have no desire for that."

"You will do it or worse will come if you spare his life," Ares countered. "Do you really want him at my mercy rather than yours? After all I am a harsh taskmaster and I picked up a few things from a certain devil from downstairs. The ideas he has in terms of torture…" Ares dropped his knowledge with the arrogance that he was well known for.

"Sonofabitch," Dean managed to spit through his gag. He got a backhand for his troubles. He sat there listening and he knew the others were too and they couldn't say anything since they were gagged as well. This douche was implying that he took lessons from Alistair.

"I'd keep quiet if I were you so called Slayer of Demons," Ares replied pointing at Dean. "Your freedom depends on this. One decision. Now can you really trust the warrior princess with your brother's life?"

Dean huffed and grunted. He barely managed to get his usual cussing out. This time all he could do was grunt and growl. It was a stupid question. Of course he trusted her. She came back and didn't have to after the way he treated her and the things he said.

Ares watched Dean grunt and growl and then looked at Angela. He said, "Seems like he does? Do you aim to prove him wrong? After all death is much more merciful than the fun I aim to have with Sam there. And don't try offering yourself. That's so clichéd in the noble department. Everyone knows and expects that of you."

That was true and Angela knew it. Everyone knew that she would offer herself in the victim's place. It was expected of her. It was what brought her closer to what she truly wanted and that was to be forgiven for being what she was. Or was it only part of the equation? Did it also mean to include the ability to accept the consequences of a decision that is virtually no-win in principle? Was it a test of who she defined herself? She got these self-questions a lot every time she was faced with a difficult choice. Did she even truly know her own heart?

"Hard questions aren't they? So much easier when you're a child. Half the time you don't even understand what is going on," Ares said with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. "But it is an easy question. Death or alive and tortured… that is if he does bad?" When she didn't respond, he decided to take drastic measures. "Alright then. Since you refuse to say anything, his life for that of the fledging you have hidden."

"You leave her out of this," Angela pointed out.

"My call since we are in this arrangement and it is by the law of the gods," Ares pointed out. He gave a smirk to show that he held the upper hand on this one.

Angela felt her hands clench in a fist. Her nails dug into her palms. Her teeth were clenched together firmly. She didn't trust herself with her mouth at the moment since she wanted to just go primal and take a chunk out of the god.

"Simple enough: Sam for the girl unless you want to stick with the original agreement and he lives or dies and everyone goes free."

Angela shot a look in the direction of the captives. They were looking at her, each one telling her not to but the look from Jo was reassuring. She could see the fear in the situation but there was complete trust in it. Looking at Ares, her eyes narrowed in anger as she whipped around just as Sam had started sneaking in the direction of the captives, she used her abilities and pulled him back onto the ground and watched as he slid towards her. At the same time she reached out with her hand and one of her sais came as she walked towards the approaching body.

Reaching down, she flipped Sam over to be able to expose his throat with her free arm and held the sais up, her intention clear. "I would rather hand myself over than to have anyone go through what you learned from your master," she said, her voice full of anger.

"Not an option."

"I know, which is why I choose this," Angela replied. She put the tip close to Sam's throat and paused slightly.

"Then quit trying to hold us in suspense."

"It's okay Angie," Sam whispered. He noticed that the position of her hands was wrong and he could easily overcome it.

"I'm sorry Sam."

"I trust you. Do you trust me?"

Angela couldn't say it out loud but gave a slight tap to Sam's head with her finger. She inched the tip until it touched. All she had to do was thrust it in. She didn't expect Sam to grab her and flip her so she was on her back and the situation reversed. She felt the tip at her throat and she looked up at Sam with trust to do the right thing.

Sam held the weapon before looking at the god and said, "I won't kill her but if it calls for it… I'll kill myself. Leave her alone and everyone goes free." He looked at the god, as he got up off of Angela and held the weapon in his hands.

For a time Ares studied Sam. He had been impressed with the whole thing. Sam impressed him with his ability to not see her as the friend she was and was willing to spare her the pain of decision. He could see though if he had to, he would kill her just as she would him if it would end up saving the soul. Ah he was turning into a sentimental bastard but…

Ares continued to stare some more at the defiant looking Sam. His expression was scrutinizing until he said, "Okay you all can go."

"What?" Sam blinked in disbelief. Did he hear Ares right?

"You all can go." Ares took in the disbelief and chuckled at it. He looked up at the sky and said something in the ancient language. "I really wasn't going to send my warrior queen to finish the job. It certainly was good entertainment. Never have I seen so much angst over one decision."

"So you were just screwing us?" Sam was livid at this.

"Call it a test Sam Winchester. I don't care what it says on that tablet and I doubt the warrior princess does either. Wouldn't blame her really." Ares cast a glance at Angela who had gotten up and was giving that guilty look but it was also mingled with anger. "Anyway a true Champion knows that boundaries may be crossed and there will come a time when the ultimate sacrifice will have to be given. You just happened to show that. You were willing to offer yourself to spare her the choice. Plus you're not bad with a sword."

Sam was trying hard not to lose his temper. He had been tricked into a fight to the death and he had been made to fight against Angela. He was willing to spare her from making a choice and now it was all… entertainment? It was like being around the Trickster again and he was ready to stab something for this. "So this was entertainment to you?"

"God of war, Sam" Ares replied with smug look. "Don't worry, I'll hold up my end of the bargain and send the two idiots and the Oracle home. They were just a means to actually get her out of hiding. You have any idea…?"

"Don't go there," Sam warned. Even though it was harmless at the moment, his temper was still up and would threaten to explode with a harmless comment.

"Not everything thinks in the gutter like you," Ares replied. He clapped his hands together, "So, if we're all done realizing with shock how much we are capable of, I'll hold up my end of the deal and send them home."

"What deal?"

"Why not ask her?"

Sam looked at Angela who was silent the whole time. She looked like she had an expression of guilt on her face but it was in discernible. Something had gone on but what? "Angie?"

Before Angela could speak there was a cry of anger and attention was diverted to the fact that there was a blade sticking out of Ares. Behind him was the enforcer growling, "The oracle is mine as well as the tablet. And so is the warrior princess."

* * *

**A/N:** So Ares was just screwing with them? What the hell? Keep watching for more 'I Get That A Lot'...


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

It is easy to think you're crazy when you see things that you know would never happen actually nearly happen and then the rules change a split second before. Then again, when you were used to it and you were the one that made the crazy happen, the only thing that came as a surprise was when you least expected it. It certainly felt that way to Ares the moment he felt the blade enter his back and it was bloody painful; a no brainer since it was a special blade.

It had been a long time coming and he had his suspicions. Probably it was his fault since all he ever did was talk about the warrior princess, this Angela. The name was fitting considering that her more notable title was the Hebraic name for the angels. No major coincidence since he had learned not to mess with anything that came from the Creator or the Seer's mouth. That was just plain suicide and he loved his skin too much to risk that. Now he was on the ground having been stuck by the knife his right hand man lifted off her the moment they got her.

Ares couldn't really lash out at his protégé since that hurt bloody hell and he was going to feel it. As for his disloyal enforcer, he was enraged at the whole outcome of this. They were supposed to make it so that she would fight to the death and end up with the Champion killing her and that was if she didn't agree to join Ares. Then he would bide his time and go after her since being the right hand man was his right. He was the best under Ares' command and it was his right. She may be the warrior princess but that didn't mean she was anything special.

The enforcer looked at the warrior princess as he spat, "It wasn't to be this way."

Angela looked at the enforcer. It had been a shock to see her knife be used on Ares and she knew he was going to feel it. Her knife was like Absolution and hurt like hell like the demon killing knife. Yet she knew to expect something from him. Ares she wasn't worried about since he was a bastard and she was used to the bastards. This guy was different and to be wary of. She replied, "No it wasn't. You were to be detained and judged."

The enforcer grinned maliciously, "I don't think so. You see you may be the warrior princess but you are nothing."

"I get that a lot and you'd be surprised at how much I agree," Angela replied. She glanced over at the others. "Now just tell the others to back off and step down and this will be less painful. You've only injured a god. You must know how it would be if you killed one."

"No it will be you that killed him." The enforcer held up her knife. It was bloodied and he grinned maliciously. "Such things are identifiable."

Angela narrowed her eyes as she stepped forward. She moved to make sure Sam didn't do anything stupid. "Things have changed since those days."

"But not much. Humans are all the same."

"Not all the same," Angela replied before her eyes glowed, making the stack of junk nearby fall. It was followed by a quick whistle and out of the woodwork came fierce barking and a charging mass. At the same time the 'prisoners' jumped up and started in on the others.

Jo was surprised that she managed to get the gun way from the douche that held it on them. She had noticed the whole thing Ares did had gone away but like everyone else, they were shocked by Ares' sudden change of heart of the whole thing. The best thing at the time was to stay put since it seemed that Angela had everything under control. It was similar to the hunt they went on over the summer only that time she and Angela were the ones that were counting on Sacha. At least Dean looked happy since he was pissed still.

Angela diverted her attention back to the enforcer who had been startled. It appeared that he was quicker than she thought since he decided to get cute and try to go after her and he was really close. She barely managed to block the blow but her counter strike struck home and knocked him back allowing her to pursue him after casting a glance at Ares lying on the ground. She turned her pursuit onto the enforcer while occasionally throwing a punch or two on some of those biker punks that came her way but they weren't worth the trouble and she knew that Dean needed to get a few licks in.

The enforcer made his way through the piles of junk trying to find a means of doubling back and seizing the blade of Ares. That blur was unexpected. He had no idea what was going on here but he was competent to know that he couldn't underestimate her. She was given that title for a reason but he aimed to prove that he was more honorable and that he was the only one to have the honor of the right hand of Ares but now that Ares proved not to be who he should be… it was his turn to take control. It was the moment he had been waiting for. He rounded corner and his foot caught on something and he fell with a thud.

"It usually is a good idea to be careful around here. You never know when you might end up in more trouble than you expected."

The enforcer looked up to see Angela looking at him as she came around the corner. He got up and replied, "I'm not afraid of anything."

Angela crossed her arms over her chest with a slightly bemused expression on her face. "And yet you run from battle; the judgment that you must face for your betrayal of Ares."

"What do you know about that? You just walked into his life. I have been there since he recruited me and began this pursuit to find you. How could you betray him by not becoming his bride?"

"I was never to be his and he knew it," Angela replied. She ignored the fact that she did have a memory of a kiss that was… rather stirring. It had made her heady but it was nothing like what she would assume she would feel if it were Sam. Even Castiel's kisses felt different than Ares'. She kept this down though as she faced the enforcer. "So you acted on misinformation."

"Not really," the enforcer replied as he reached behind him. He had felt the weapon when his hand brushed against it. "It was a known fact that he was obsessed with you or rather the warrior princess. You have no idea how much he griped about your namesake."

Angela gave a slight eye roll at that. It seemed that there were still some mix-ups regarding who she was. Well she was bound to run against that more times than she would ever care to count. She walked closer hoping that this might go well but since when did anything ever go well? "I can imagine but Ares knows the difference between me and her so you're pretty sunk there. Now don't make this difficult."

The enforcer scoffed at that. Like he would surrender. He grabbed his choice of weapon and swung hard. It connected and he saw that he caught the warrior princess across the face. He grinned as he countered with a strike to her back once she doubled over. That had her on the ground and he was getting an upper hand. "Difficult is how this game is played princess."

Angela felt the blow across the face and it had her bent over. The second strike to the back had her down on the ground grimacing. She was certain she could feel the familiar stickiness of blood on the back of her head but that was a moot point. She was down and she didn't have time to defend herself from the kicks that came her way. At least she could protect her head.

The enforcer was having too much a good time. The moans and groans made him believe that he had the upper hand. The last blow stunned her and gave him opportunity to end it. He looked at the downed warrior princess and said, "Seems like you're going to lose this game princess and I'm going to enjoy it." He raised his weapon to deliver a killing blow.

The next thing the enforcer felt was something hard hit him on the back of his head. He frowned as he looked around for the source. Another thing, probably a rock, hit the side of his head. It was followed by, "You leave Ima alone you big bully."

The enforcer looked and spotted a little girl with hazel eyes and light brown hair and she was glaring at him. She was holding what appeared to be a rock and she looked ready to throw it at him. He started to say something when her rock flew at him and he barely had time to block it with his forearm. "Little brat. You're going to pay for that."

Hibah knew that trouble was brewing but it wasn't the one called Ares that everyone should be wary of. Even though he scared her when he made his entrance, she could tell that he wasn't the problem. Still she followed the funny roly poly man and his friend when they whisked her away. Then sneaking away with Cerebus in tow, she managed to get to where everyone went. She saw the bully stab Ares and then try to get away from Ima.

In her mind he was a bad man and when he tried to hurt her Ima, she reacted. She found a few rocks and she threw them at the bad man. She wasn't scared of him. She was more angry. It didn't occur to her to be afraid. She stood her ground as he approached. She replied to him, "Bullies always get into twouble."

The enforcer looked at the little girl and started towards her. He held his weapon up in a threatening manner hoping to scare her. "I think you're in trouble brat."

What happened next was a bit of a shock more on the end of the enforcer as he was sent flying into a pile of junk. He looked up to see the brat looking at him. It was then that he put two and two together and realized what he had there. So the warrior princess had offspring and powerful at a young age.

Hibah just reacted. She had been practicing with Ima on how to move things and she hadn't been able to move anything heavier than a pencil. She smiled thinking that it was cool but when the enforcer got up it dropped. She backed up a bit but it wasn't in fear; it was more along the lines of getting him away from Ima. She looked at him as he said, "So the warrior princess has offspring. I should have guessed but you look nothing like her."

Hibah just stuck her tongue out at the enforcer. He chuckled in amusement. "I think you'd make a fine addition to my army. With your powers…"

"You have to catch me first," Hibah taunted.

"Oh I will," the enforcer replied and started on the chase.

In the meantime, Angela managed to clear her head and looked up. She managed to see the enforcer looking at Hibah and starting towards her. It was then she heard the girl taunt the man and take off running. She groaned in exasperation in that Hibah was not going to take this seriously and what reason did she have to? Slowly she got to her feet and was almost startled by Sam as he reached out to steady her and ask if she was okay.

Rubbing her head, Angela replied, "He's going after Hibah. That way." She pointed and started moving, working off the pain from the blows. "Sam try to flank them," she added and pointed in a direction.

"Slow down Angie. Are you sure?"

Angela paused to look at Sam. There was a lot of explaining to do later but that could wait. She replied, "She thinks it's a game. No time." She took off leaving Sam behind and he eventually followed her directions. Her urgency was to get to Hibah and make sure that the enforcer didn't know any more than he did and that was she had mojo like she did.

Sam watched her take off. He had followed her the moment she took off after the guy that stabbed Ares. That had been a shock to see and the fact that he was going to blame her for it since it was her knife… Too many things happening but his immediate attention was focused on Angela since she was chasing this guy. Then he found her struggling to get up and he took in the fact that she had bruises forming and it looked like she took a couple of hard hits.

When she mentioned Hibah was in trouble, his protective instincts shifted. He wanted to charge after the guy but he didn't. He listened to Angela and saw what she intended to do. It didn't mean that he liked the idea since he could tell that she was still shaking off the effects of whatever hit her. Still he knew that when it came to Hibah, that was when her instructions tend to be the most clear and that was especially in regards to her safety. Sighing he took off in the direction she had directed him and noted the rain that started to fall and prayed that this would end.

* * *

He knew he was in trouble. He had been warned what would happen if he didn't keep an eye on her. He did keep his eye on her and so did Joxer but she gave them the slip and they both knew where she was headed. Oh he was in trouble and he hated to think what she would do to them for letting this happen. Yet he could say in his defense that he hadn't had much experience with children. The last time he took care of a child, it was a centaur child and he did the same thing. Oh he had a good track record on this one.

Salmoneus looked around as he avoided the ongoing fights. He especially wanted to avoid the one who insisted on being called Dean since he seemed anxious to beat anything with a heartbeat up. Honestly he couldn't get what the big deal was over calling him by his proper name which was Iolaus. True he was dressed differently and he had shorter hair and a propensity to lash out at anything that was displeasing with violence but he was essentially the same person. The same went for Hercules or rather Sam and of course Xe—Angela.

That woman was something else. She had the abilities but the way how she talked to people… It was way different and the way she moved when she walked… Salmoneus knew that while she had a similar appearance, she was different. The appearance of the fangs and the word she used to describe the creatures that weren't Bacchai… yep she was someone else but she was still the warrior princess. That much he got from the discussion he had overheard.

Then Ares had to show up and now they had this. He had taken Hibah away to hide her but she insisted that he take the sword to Sam and give it to him. She said it had to do with fighting for Ima. He had no idea what the word meant but he guessed that it was in reference to Angela and guessed what he thought was the truth between his Hercules and Xena. Now she had run off after leaving Joxer in a confused heap.

"Any idea where the squirt went to?"

Salmoneus paused a bit as he looked around. He then looked at Joxer, trying not act surprised in the choice of clothing that matched this time and place. He replied, "If I did we wouldn't be out here in the middle of a junkyard looking for her."

"Hey not my fault she is sneaky." Joxer huffed trying to cover the fact that a four year old got the better of him and he got that frequently with Gabrielle.

"Uh Angela warned us she was," Salmoneus pointed out as he started moving. "Oh if we don't find her it's gonna be on us and…"

"Hey, it's Xena. She wouldn't hurt friends."

"It's a child we are talking about and one that she cares for a whole lot," Salmoneus replied as he reminded Joxer why they were going to be in a whole lot of trouble. He overlooked the fact that he agreed to Joxer referring to Angela as now his main concern was finding the little rugrat Hibah and hopefully avoid serious injury for losing her.

"I know that and Hercules seems to care about the kid too. You think she's theirs?"

It was a fine time to actually start talking about that but Salmoneus indulged as he narrowly missed being knocked over by one of those guys that chased him and Joxer down the other night. "I don't think that really matters at this point."

"Come on. They both act parents and Xena gets ready to spring on the first person that even attempts to look at her the wrong way."

"Eh, you have a point but I think it is a temporary thing and she does have motherly instincts," Salmoneus pointed out. He paused a moment to listen. It was then he heard a low growl or harrumph. "You hear that?"

Joxer paused a moment to listen. He heard it and looked around. "Is that...?" He motioned with his finger to indicate who he was referring to.

Salmoneus peeked around and found the huge dog that he had met before and looked like he could eat a guy for lunch. He had no idea that Cerebus was a hellhound or that he was _the_ hellhound that once belonged to Hades; the hellhound that was supposed to guard the gates to Tartarus. As it were, it was just an overly huge dog that reminded him of the one that did try to eat him under Darphus' command. "Yeah. It's him."

"Oh," Joxer replied. He stepped around Salmoneus and walked up to Cerebus and crooned, "Who's the good puppy?"

Cerebus moaned at the sight of Joxer and allowed him to rub his head. The guy may be a bit of a buffoon but he did know how to rub pretty good. He gave a moan and a slight bark.

Joxer rubbed Cerebus' head. "Good boy. You're looking for the kid too? Can you find her? Sniff her out?"

Cerebus could do that but it was a bit difficult now that it started to rain. That was part of the problem with scents. They tended to get messed up when you added a bit of water. Even the best of hunters got confused. He barked and gave a high pitched whine of confusion.

"He's confused," Joxer confirmed.

"Well, I guess we better take him along. Better him than nothing right now."

They continued along their way, trying hard not to jump at the shadows made by the stacks of junk. What they didn't realize was that they had wandered into the area that had been deemed a hazard to those not familiar with the content there. While they were nowhere near the obstacle course, there were still surprises hidden within the stacks and that didn't necessarily mean traps though that was a high probability since it was designed for trainees that worked to defend a school from outside forces that would spell uncertain evil.

Salmoneus watched Cerebus since the dog seemed to have a better grasp of the area. It was true since he did pull Joxer out of trouble from a rigging that would fire a crossbow. It was all he could do to keep from shaking and quivering in his boots. It was by sheer luck that they managed to find Hibah and she wasn't alone. That was confirmed by Cerebus' low growl that meant that he was ready to rip an arm off. The one that was there with Hibah was the one that had shoved Angela into the middle of the ring and he looked ready to do whatever it was he did best.

Hibah was trapped, having nowhere to go so she turned to look at the guy coming at her. She had her eyes narrowed as he said, "Looks like I did manage to catch you."

She replied, "Not yet."

Before anything else could happen, Cerebus had charged without much prompting and tackled the enforcer. His powerful jaws latched onto the arm and started shaking it violently side to side. He had gone before Joxer or Salmoneus could think much of anything so they followed. They got there just as the enforcer flung away Cerebus after hitting him upside the head. He stood up and said, "I've had enough of this. Give me the brat and then this will be over."

"You big bully! You bitsch"

Salmoneus was the closest and was a bit shocked at the outspokenness of the girl, not to mention her swearing was not typical of a girl her age. He made a face as he took her by the arm and pulled her close and right behind him. Joxer stood in front of them and while he was feeling like the coward he usually was, he stood his ground. He pulled out his sword and held it ready to defend Hibah. He said, "You heard the kid. So why don't you back off?"

The enforcer gave a smile and couldn't resist the laugh. "Please. You aim to defend the brat from me? You're the one that ran away from me in the first place."

"Yeah well… I can't let ya hurt the girl," Joxer replied as he held his sword ready to defend himself. He put on his war face which looked comical but it was something.

The enforcer gave a slight sigh of exasperation. Besides, what was one more kill on his plate? He looked at him and replied, "Fine, but when I kill you, I will give your fat friend a dusting for good measure." When he went to point at Salmoneus, he noticed that they were gone. "Where are they?"

Joxer gave a grin and said, "Nowhere special."

The enforcer growled and swung his weapon. It was a hunk of metal but it made an effective club. It resounded off Joxer's sword as they clashed and danced around. The enforcer had to admit that he was impressed with the whole thing. He never would have expected as much from the coward and disgrace of a warrior and it vastly was entertaining. He wasn't bad with a blade so there might be some hope for him, provided that he lived long enough.

Joxer didn't like fighting even though he had spent his life trying to be the warlord that dad wanted him to be. He managed to practice every chance he got and he was good at it when he wasn't being the fool and he did have his moments. So he was able to block the heavy blows designed to hit him across the head. Unfortunately the enforcer got inside his guard and gave a hard punch to the face and it had him spinning a bit and he fell.

"You were doing so well too. Well now I guess I have to kill you and find the spawn of the warrior princess."

Before the enforcer could reacted, Joxer watched as he flew into a pile of junk and made a sizeable dent in the thing. He blinked when Angela came into view with strong strides and looking very much like someone ready to kill. It was then that he noticed her eyes were glittering like little gems. Those were not Xena's eyes since hers were blue and this was rather… he couldn't describe it as he got to his feet and picked up his sword.

Angela walked forward and said, "Now I can't let you do that." As she walked by one of the stacks, she reached out and grabbed a piece that was sticking out and pulled it off in one move. "You harm what is mine and I will end you."

The enforcer got up and looked a bit surprised that she was able to get up after that. Still he was up for a fight. He twirled his stick and replied, "I would love to see that from you warrior princess."

"Take your best shot."

What followed was a series of clangs as the pieces of junk clanged together. Angela held her left up in a defensive posture and relied on her footing and knowledge of the grounds to stay on her feet since the ground was becoming slippery and muddy. The enforcer relied on his brute strength and almost had her when he gave a kick to push her away.

He was stopped by Joxer sticking his sword out and then flinging the piece of junk away. Of course that had the enforcer get pissed and Joxer ended up getting tossed into a pile of junk. It was enough though for Angela to get back to her feet and come swinging.

The lightning flashed as the rain poured down thickly and drenched everything. The enforcer managed to yank away Angela's weapon and it all came down to hand to hand. He swung with hard and wide punches while Angela relied on her speed and agility. It was when they locked limbs that the enforcer said, "Give it up. Your daughter will be mine and oh what a warrior she will be."

Angela narrowed her eyes and with a growl knocked his hands away and started on the offense and gained momentum. She put behind her punches the power of her telekinetic ability. Each strike sent him back a bit until she did a hand movement and a wave of her ability sent him flying back and he landed hard in the mud. It was over as she walked over and straddled him. He was still awake and with a grim look, she gave a hard punch to knock him out. "She will never be a killer," she muttered. Looking around, she saw Sam with Salmoneus and holding Hibah while Joxer was getting up. Time to pay the piper now.

* * *

**A/N:** Looks like the enforcer had one last trick up his sleeve. Angie kicked ass and Salmoneus and Joxer kept Hibah out of trouble. Stay tuned for the conclusion of 'I Get That A Lot'...


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

"Is he dead?"

Angela gave a slight look at Dean that was more in line with him being ridiculous. "No. He's just milking it for all it's worth like you would." She gave a none too gentle nudge with her boot and kneeled to be face to face with Ares.

Ares gave a slight moan, "And here I was thinking that my warrior queen will have some pity for my death wound."

Angela raised her brow, "The only sympathy you'll get from me is the fact I am using such restraint not to beat your ass senseless." She muttered the last bit as she batted away Ares' hands to see the damage.

As it turned out the damage was minimal and he was on the mend. It was as she said: that he was milking it for the drama. He knew that she would see right through it. He sighed and got to his feet with a slightly annoyed look but didn't actually mean it. "Yeah well, what better way for this mess to be cleaned up. Besides I needed to see what these people you hang out with are capable of."

Angela narrowed her eyes as she surveyed the look. The enforcer and his men were rounded up. The guys she was going to let go provided that they forget everything they saw and get out of town. They were agreeable to that. The enforcer was Ares' responsibility and that was one thing that he wasn't going to get out of. She looked at everyone who was more or less unharmed. The major exceptions were her and Sam and she really didn't want to think about it then. Turning back to Ares she delivered a punch to the arm. "That answer your question?"

Ares feigned mock hurt as he rubbed his arm, again milking the drama. "Alright I admit that I may have taken things a little out of hand but you lived up to your end. You helped me uncover the traitor within my ranks. For that you have my thanks."

"Wait a minute. You mean this whole thing was to find out a mole?" Dean looked at the god with one of his 'what the hell' looks.

"Hey I knew I had a traitor. I just didn't know who and I needed someone who was good at finding out who," Ares replied in a nonchalant voice. He picked up the knife he had been stabbed with and held it out to Angela, "Oh this belongs to you. Don't worry. I'll put in a good word with the council."

"So you chased us and made us come here to find the warrior princess of this era so you could ask her for help?" Ciane had been following the conversation and she was just as baffled at the moment. This didn't make much sense. "You weren't even interested in the tablet?"

"Frankly I could care less," Ares replied.

"Then why all the trouble with this shindig?" Bobby looked at everyone with his arms crossed. "Buncha idjits," he muttered under his breath.

"All part of the fun." Ares couldn't help but grin at that. He took in the faces and noted the expressions. "Like I said I don't care. Anyone who cares to know will know that this one is bound to do great things. I just wanted to meet her and maybe eventually persuade her to be my queen."

"Not a chance in hell, Ares," Angela replied as she crossed her arms. She was glad that the rain stopped. She had been soaked and had mud everywhere. In fact everyone had some form of being soaked from the rain so it was going to be a long night. "Now you agreed to send them back."

"Alright, alright," Ares replied as he motioned his hands in a placating manner. "Seriously, you need to appreciate the finer aspects of this whole plan. Not many would have conceived of it with as much cunning as you would have."

"It was your idea and you know it," Angela replied firmly.

"Well that's true but we both know that you were the one that suggested believability. That worked out well I think." Ares then strutted forward and stood in front of Ciane and asked, "So are you ready to go back? My sister will be pleased that you are in one piece. She's like a hot tempered volcano. At least Pericles was agreeable."

"You dogged Pericles into this?" Ciane was incredulous at the thought.

"Call it hardball persuasion," Ares countered. "The bastard refused on the spot until I made him think that I really was after you and that tablet. It just happened to be luck of the draw that you were stuck with these two. At least the demon didn't get a hold of it." He looked at Angela as if it were her fault.

"What are you looking at me for?" Angela shrugged her shoulders. "As far as I can tell this is your doing. So fix it."

"So pushy and yet becoming of her," Ares replied. He made a slight sound with his tongue. "Okay so time to take the ride back."

It didn't take much more to collect the tablet and have everyone gathered where they were supposed to be. Ares looked bored as he muttered the phrasing to open the gates of time. The three of them walked through to find themselves right where they had left. Ciane looked around with Joxer and Salmoneus. It was dark and…

Suddenly they were met with their companions asking if they were all right. Ciane frowned slightly as it dawned on her that Ares had sent them back to the exact time and place they had left. It was mind boggling and on her mind as she reached to feel for the tablet in her bag. She nodded that she was fine and the group started on their way to Pericles and Salmoneus and Joxer telling stories about where they had been.

~0~0~

Confident that he had done his job, Ares turned towards Angela and said, "Well that did go well and I'll expect to find scrolls of those tales floating around." He gave a slight roll of his eyes as he walked closer. "So everything is back to normal. Do you intend to keep up with this menial existence?"

Angela glanced at everyone else as they watched. At least there was some space given though she could tell that there were going to be questions here and there later. She looked at the god and replied, "It's what I do and I'm good at it."

"But all this helping people… you have the power at your fingertips and yet…" Ares shook his head as he attempted to contemplate her reasoning. He had asked this before but he liked to give multiple chances.

"I am responsible with it. Something I think you should be able to understand considering your duty to powers higher up," Angela replied with a slight smirk on her face. She motioned with her eyes upward towards the heavens.

Ares made a slight scowl, "I owe allegiance to…"

"I know your pantheon. Heaven knows that you listen to daddy," Angela mocked slightly. She wasn't willing to tempt the wrath of Zeus but she was not in the mood for sanctimonious fools. "You serve the greater good and really if the Creator didn't make your father then you wouldn't be here would you?" She smiled sweetly as she continued to remind Ares of what his duty was. It was tempting Fate but it was part of that reckless knowing that she did this.

Ares was scowling as she said it but it changed to a smile, one that he was well known for making. "You're good. Now I know why I really wanted to see you."

"You mean aside from offering to make me your queen?"

Ares sighed, "It's no secret that I want to be in that inner circle you were made a part of. If anything that mark makes it so." He pointed at the tattoo on her hand. "Many others have tried but none have captured interest or the heart of the princesses."

"I did hear Thor was a little disappointed," Angela replied, recalling a bit of reading that she had come across a lifetime ago. She gave a slight smile to know that she was teasing but being serious at the same time. "Ares, it will never be…"

"Oh I know my princess," Ares replied. He brushed the wet locks aside to reveal her face more. She really was a beautiful creature. "I can see it in your Champion's eyes. And to think my little brother would best me in this."

Angela knew who Ares was talking about but like everything else, when she defended herself, she implicated denial, "I don't know what you are talking about."

Ares chuckled, "Oh I know my princess. You are so obvious and yet willing to hide. It does make more entertainment in the future."

"I'm not for your entertainment Ares," Angela replied firmly. She crossed her arms over her chest to make her point. "Now I helped you find your traitor so do what you want and leave us alone."

Ares tsked at her, "Aww. Don't you have anything to say in terms of maybe asking for leniency for this traitor?" He motioned towards the enforcer who was bound and standing there with a scowl on his face. "After all isn't that what Absolution is known for? Or have you acknowledged that there are no easily forgiven events and that the only punishment is death?"

Angela felt her throat convulse and was glad she was rid of the collar. That had been a pain in the ass the whole time she had to wear it. Looking at the enforcer, her answer became clear and she looked at Ares and replied, "Do what you will. His judgment is not mine to pass."

"Never thought you had it in you but then again there are some things that you can't deny… like that warrior spirit of yours… Xena," Ares replied as he crooned into Angela's ear. He was well aware that Sam was bristling at what he was doing. He loved having fun at the expense of others. "Are you sure you don't want to join me?"

"I gave you my answer before and it is still the same. No." Angela looked forward, trying not to react to the fact that Ares was getting a little too close for comfort.

Ares stepped back and noticed how she was trying not to react. He gave a slow smile and replied, "Oh I know. I know that you will never be mine but I will give you something and you have the option of using it or not."

"And what is the price of that?"

"Oh the price is nothing," Ares replied. At the look she gave him he added, "I'm serious. There are no strings attached to this gift. You don't have to use it if that will make you feel better about spiting me but I really don't care."

"Then it's not much of a gift then."

"Oh it is a gift." Ares got close and nearly frowned as he became serious. "There are forces out there, some older than this current angels and demon thing going on. Your allies will be few and far between unless you have the old alliances at your disposal."

"This is the Apocalypse. I don't need to go after a fly with a bazooka," Angela replied in equal seriousness. "We're doing what we can to stop Lucifer from being sprung…"

"Oh he will be sprung. That I can tell you," Ares interrupted, "And you and your rat pack will be charged with stopping it. That's a given. What I'm telling you is what is to come should you survive this and I know you will. So I am giving this to you."

Angela regarded Ares for a moment. She could tell that he was being sincere even though she had been subject to his loose interpretation of the rules. "What is it?"

"I know you are Isis' favorite and you have the guard at your disposal. I am offering my services. Should you need anything, you know how to call."

"You are pledging yourself as a patron god?"

"Nothing wrong with it. Besides it would give me an excuse to drop in on you whenever I please." Ares gave that cocky smirk that made Angela want to punch his face. It was so tempting to do that as he kept that smirk plastered on his face. "Don't worry princess. I'll make sure that it's nice and private."

"Go stun yourself."

"Ooo that one hurt," Ares mocked. "I am being serious I will drop in on occasion. Now that I met you… I find myself wanting to keep you from getting into too much trouble."

"I get trouble and a lot of it. It follows me like a puppy."

"More for me then." Ares smirked once more as he prepared to leave. He couldn't help though but lean in close and whisper something in Angela's ear and it was followed by a kiss to her cheek. Stepping back with his prisoner, he said, "Remember princess." He tapped his finger to his temple before they disappeared to wherever.

Angela breathed in a sigh of relief that he was gone but it didn't help that she knew that he meant what he said. He would be back and probably when she least expected it. That was the trouble with beings that took a liking to her. They smothered her with aid and while welcome, she knew that it was rooted in their feelings for her. Looking at the group, she could tell that there was going to be a long discussion about everything and especially about a few things regarding deals and the like.

* * *

Things were quiet for now. At least the initial arguments were done and over with and luckily Hibah didn't have to hear a word of it. Frankly Angela was amazed that the girl didn't recognize the danger she was in but preferred to see it as a game. Then again she had never been exposed to danger at that level… so maybe it was her fault. It was a lot to think about but hardly worth the effort this early in the morning. At least she could see the sun rise.

It hadn't been too pleasant after Castiel whisked Hibah off to bed. It was Dean that immediately rounded in on her and asked her if she really did make a deal with a god and if that whole thing that nearly messed up hers and Sam's faces was a part of it. She could admit that she had agreed to help him find the traitor within the ranks but she had no idea he would come up with that elaborate of a scheme which seemed like a lot of work.

It had her perplexed really. Ares had given her the reasons for going through all this but it seemed like there was more to it. She could say with some certainty that Ares was attracted to her. The way how he went about trying to seduce her… maybe it was lust but she pegged him for a bastard. Most bastards didn't easily give their aid. Isis gave her hers because she liked her and of course most called her the favorite of the goddess.

There was the option of actually trying to piss Sam off with getting cute with her. He did goad Sam into that fight and then made a show of crooning in her ear and then that kiss. She wasn't surprised when Sam refused to look at her for a time after that. She had already said her piece and she knew that he knew that she didn't encourage guys to do that. Whatever he had issues with he had to work out on his own. There was only so much she could say.

"You know Cat, if I didn't know better, I'd say that you were leaning towards that side that you would dabble in as a last resort."

Angela looked up from where she was viewing the sunrise on the roof of Bobby's house. It was one of the few places she would say she could hide in. Of course it wouldn't take much for the boys to climb up but she had a way of scampering on rooftops without too much fear for her life. She gave a slight scowl at the angel and replied, "I get that from everyone else Gabe. I don't need it from you."

"Chill out Cat. Hell I know what it's like when you put something sharp and pointy in your hands. Full on slice and dice…" Gabriel paused to see the look on her face. "Relax Cat. You know that I know you only do things if they were your very last option and even then you resist. I know you would have done it for Deano."

"Trying to snag his deal? It was the best I could come up with since the whole thing with the council and the trip planned to downstairs wasn't much better but I see where you're coming from," Angela replied as she allowed a slow smile to show to indicate that she wasn't _that_ upset. "So are you here to tell me what is obvious?"

"If you mean by the fact that you only did what you used to do in order to root out espionage, then no," Gabriel replied. He sat next to Angela on the roof and gave a happy sigh. "Those were the days Cat. You were good at sniffing out the traitors and they never knew what hit them. You haven't lost your touch."

"Old habits die hard I guess."

"Like riding a horse. It comes back even after a spell," Gabriel replied. "So what's the problem? Deano giving you a hard time about it?"

"I'm trying to figure out how you know about this," Angela replied. "As far as I know I haven't given a call."

"I said I would be watching," Gabriel pointed out. He could pick up that she was bothered by this whole thing that happened. It wasn't her fault though that Ares decided to play time bandit with people from the past to get her attention. "Cat, I've been watching out for you long after we split. I never stopped."

"I know," Angela replied softly as she rested her head on her knees. "If you really want to know, I did get the third degree about deals and the like. I don't blame them really and Jo saw the whole thing for what it was."

"So they don't trust you?"

"No. They care too much." Angela took in a deep breath. "It's hard for them to truly understand what it means to make those hard decisions Gabe. They never really had to live with scrutiny from those that do remember. They never really see what happens when they rely too much on the hero; how easily the hero becomes the villain."

"And maybe they have but never to the extremes of what you've done. You and I both have seen that. They just see it differently and that's why… you know." Gabriel looked at Angela as she thought about it some more. _At least one thinks about it._

"Maybe so," Angela replied. She closed her eyes to feel the warmth of the sun on her face. "You know I started being a bit more forward about what I do and have done but… I still handle it one sided and it bugs me."

"Why is that?" Gabriel had a pretty good idea why and while it would have been fun to tease her about it, he didn't. He knew that there were some things she had to figure out for herself especially when it came to feelings.

"I can tell Sam most things and it feels right… like there's an understanding, which is pretty much the truth, but I don't tell Dean." Angela frowned a bit at that. She never really questioned why she did the things she did but she was well aware of the consequences that occurred with her actions. "I know he will listen to me but even then I don't give the whole picture. It told him about the consequences of making him into someone like me and even mentioned making his deal into mine but never the details. With Sam, I did."

Gabriel made a slight sound in his throat. "You always were good at reading people. The fact that you mentioned it at all should say something. What makes this so different?"

"Probably the fact that I sort of implied that it doesn't matter what Sam is doing in terms of is abilities. I really don't see one in that the intentions are good."

"But you know the way to get to that."

"There are other ways and I'm not inclined to believe much of what Ruby says even though we have a truce of sorts." Angela just said it to be a little difficult but she knew what the angel meant. "But yeah I do know and I already said my piece on that."

"I hear ya Cat," Gabriel replied with a friendly shoulder bump. "The thing is you told Sam about what you've had to do in order to be able to do what you wanted to do. Maybe not chapter and verse but you gave him details you didn't give Dean. Sounds like a recipe for disaster."

Angela pondered that for a moment. She did know that. She was aware of it but she was afraid and she could admit that. She was afraid of what Dean would do. She wasn't blind. She had seen the looks he had shot Sam. She was trying so hard not to play favorites and she still walked into it but she really didn't do that. Did she? She knew that she had to tell the whole story since there was always someone who knew and would eventually tell. It was better to have the truth told by someone you trusted.

A noise sounded and Angela looked down to see the boys walk out. It was surprising since it was early for Dean but she figured it was important. She said, "Maybe you're right Gabe. Better to find out from someone they trust than someone who could twist the truth."

"All anyone can ask for Cat. Well I better get back. You know I'm always watching."

"Shut up," Angela replied as she smiled at the angel as he stood up. She gave a slight blink and he was gone. She then stood up and looked down at the boys talking about whatever they were talking about and gave a slight sigh. This was the right thing to do and at least they would hear her out and they knew she wouldn't lie.

Angela stood there watching. She knew that things weren't going to be exactly smooth sailing. That was a given since she basically used them to achieve an end with Ares. That would be hard to swallow for anyone. She did initially when she got into this work. Still if she took small steps… it seemed like a good way to go. She stood there looking down and contemplated a means of getting down while her thoughts drifted to a certain time and place.

_Ares stood back after kissing her. He smirked at her, pleased at the reaction she gave. It was one she hated since she didn't really give any indication that she didn't like it. Her throat convulsed at that as she looked at the god._

_ "Now that wasn't so bad was it?"_

_ "I'd rather kiss a dead man than go through that again."_

_ "And yet you didn't say no," Ares countered with a smirk. "The kind of thing that I look for especially when I pick someone who has a secret that can't be revealed, especially if it is life or death."_

_ "What are you talking about?"_

_ Ares stood next to her. "Oh you know what I am talking about. You see I made it my business to look for certain things and knowing your sister… You're the first person she would go to in order to protect the thing that matters the most." He took in the slight twitch in her face. "Oh yes I know about… Hibah and how you took it upon yourself to protect her until she is of age."_

_ Angela felt her throat convulse. If Ares knew then others would. "What do you want?"_

_ "I have a proposition. You help me with a little problem and I'll make sure that no one else finds out about your dirty little secret. At least from anyone else." Ares paced a little bit before adding, "Of course I'm not doing this out of the goodness of my heart."_

_ "Why am I not surprised?"_

_ "Don't get all high and mighty." Ares stood right in front of her. His eyes were narrowed and locked onto hers. "What I get out of this is a troublesome traitor out and the right to call in a favor from the most well-known warrior princess of this time." He gave a slight smirk, "So what do you say?"_

_ Angela stood there looking at the god. If he knew about Hibah, it was only a matter of time before the others did. The choice was hers…_

* * *

**A/N:** Well all's well that ends well and... whatever. Seems like there is a slight tension caused by what Angie orchestrated to help Ares out. Seems like more went on than we thought. How will this affect things now? Stay tuned for 3.08 Solstice Beginnings...


End file.
